Tottenham Hotspur haven’t enjoyed a great summer transfer window thus far, but things could change in the final weeks.
The north Londoners have wrapped up the signing of Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke for a record £65m deal. Solanke is set to undergo a medical soon after agreeing a contract until 2030 with Tottenham. By landing the former England youth international from the Cherries, Spurs would fulfil head coach Ange Postecoglou’s wish for a new striker.
However, simultaneously, the move for Solanke could unexpectedly strengthen bitter rivals Arsenal’s bid to land one of the summer’s transfer targets. According to a report from the Express, Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres has emerged as a potential target for Arsenal in their attempts to fortify the strike force ahead of the new season.
After joining Sporting CP from Championship club Coventry City last summer, Viktor Gyokeres scored goals left, right and centre in Portugal. He plundered a highly impressive tally of 43 goals in 49 games across all competitions in his debut season for Sporting CP, thereby, establishing himself as one of the most exciting No.9s in Europe.
The Sweden international’s exploits last season haven’t unsurprisingly gone unnoticed, with Tottenham among the clubs showing an interest in his signature earlier this summer. However, the Lilywhites seemingly have been put off by Gyokeres’ hefty £84 million release clause in his contract with Sporting. Doubts over his price tag—especially after just an incredible campaign in Portugal—has led to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy not sanctioning a move for Gyokeres and looking for cheaper alternatives.
By cooling interest in the Sporting CP marksman, Spurs have gone ahead in their pursuit of Solanke. However, the aforementioned report adds that the Lilywhites’ actions have now given the Gunners a free run at landing Gyokeres, should they wish to add firepower to their squad.
The Swedish centre-forward, who earns €46,154 per week at Sporting CP, was termed “irreplaceable” by Coventry City boss Mark Robins in November 2022. And that claim possibly came back to haunt the Robins last term in the FA Cup semi-finals when they missed a presence like Gyokeres in the box to finish off chances against Manchester United and pull off a major shock.
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The ball is firmly now in Arsenal’s court whether they want to go for Gyokeres or not. In an ideal world, we would never do a favour for our bitter north London rivals but by deciding to go for Solanke, we may have just cleared up their path to sign one of the most fearsome strikers in Europe.
