Viktor Gyokeres: Is European football’s most in-form striker finally ready for the Premier League?

It is not unreasonable to suggest that Viktor Gyokeres is the most in-form striker in European football at the moment.

A Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City on Tuesday took him to 23 goals in all competitions already for Sporting Lisbon this season — making it seven strikes in just five days after bagging four goals against Estrela Amadora last Friday.

It has been quite the 18 months for Gyokeres since he moved to Portugal, firing Sporting to the Primeira Liga title last season and looking in good shape to repeat the feat with his side’s perfect start of 10 wins from their opening 10 games.

A return of 66 goals in 67 appearances in a green and white shirt has predictably put Europe’s elite clubs on high alert — especially with the dearth of out-and-out No 9s in the modern era.

For those who are not sure what he offers, let’s run through the key attributes of the 6ft 2in (187cm) human battering ram that everyone is taking notice of.

“The good thing with Viktor is he can score in so many ways,” says Peter Kisfaludy, who was academy director at Gyokeres’s former Swedish club Brommapojkarna.

“He is a box player but he can also drive forward with the ball because he is fast and strong. Have you seen the goal he scored against Belgium? It’s world-class.”

Kisfaludy is referring to Gyokeres’s goal in Sweden’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium, when he picked up the ball in his own half and embarked on a solo run to shrug off any Belgian player before slotting the ball past Matz Sels.

What a run by Viktor Gyökeres! 🔥

The Swede takes the ball from inside of his own half, sits Jan Vertonghen down with a brilliant bit of skill and scores 🤌🇸🇪#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/wxNc11J7ZI

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) October 16, 2023

Comparisons with Erling Haaland may be a little overstated, but there are similar conclusions that you can draw if coming up against Gyokeres — give him space to run into and he will punish you emphatically.

Haaland and his City team-mates learned that lesson the hard way this week after their high line was broken and a simple through ball saw Gyokeres race beyond teenager Jahmai Simpson-Pusey to finish expertly over Ederson and restore parity.

Sporting are level against Manchester City!

Viktor Gyokeres scores his 21st goal of the campaign to make it 1-1 in Lisbon. #UCL

🎥 @footballontntpic.twitter.com/RoAJfR3C2c

— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) November 5, 2024

It was a lung-busting goal that was similar to one he scored just days earlier, as a forward ball from Trincao saw Gyokeres bear down on goal, sit the opposition defender down, and power his finish into the far corner.

Poor defending notwithstanding, there is little you can do when he stretches his legs with the ball at his feet.

Gyokeres’s 16 goals in 10 Primeira Liga appearances puts him at an unsustainable rate of 1.6 finishes per 90 minutes this season. While we can reasonably expect that rate to come down by the end of the campaign, the Swede has overperformed his expected goals (xG) for much of the past three years — pointing to some elite finishing ability.

This is shown across a rolling 900-minute average of a player’s xG per 90 compared with goals per 90. Tracking the two together allows you to see a player’s goalscoring form versus expectation. Aside from a small goalscoring slide at the end of the 2021-22 campaign with Coventry City (red shade), Gyokeres has barely experienced a goalscoring slump in recent years.

Only Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane (36 goals and eight assists) and PSV Eindhoven’s Luuk de Jong (29 goals and 15 assists) had more domestic goal involvements than Gyokeres (29 goals and 10 assists) across Europe’s top seven leagues in 2023-24.

And this season, only Kane can keep up with Gyokeres as the pair sit at the top of the list with 17 goal involvements apiece.

Gyokeres has the physical profile to stay in central areas and occupy centre-backs with his back to goal, but he thrives on runs into the channel to bully opposition defenders with his power and acceleration.

Take this example against Nacional this season. As centre-back Zeno Debast releases the ball, Gyokeres is two yards behind the defender, but bursts beyond him to get on the end of the pass, compose himself, and finish emphatically at the near post.

A similar example can be seen against Benfica in February’s first leg of a Taca de Portugal semi-final last season.

Wing-back Geny Catamo spots the run made by Gyokeres, who is peeling off into the right channel. A single pass sees Gyokeres race past Nicolas Otamendi, cut inside, and blast the ball with his left foot to the near post.

There are similar examples in the left channel.

Against Sturm Graz in the Champions League, Gyokeres is tracked to the left touchline as the ball is played down the line. He uses his body excellently to roll the defender and drive towards goal, before rounding the goalkeeper to finish.

This is a continuation of last season. Against fourth-division Dumiense in November’s Taca de Portugal tie, Gyokeres links up with left wing-back Nuno Santos to drive into the space, shrug off his opposite number and fire home from a tight angle.

It is a cheat code that Sporting have utilised time and time again.

For those requiring more examples, last season’s goals against Farense and Porto will strengthen the case that this has been a clear pattern of play since Gyokeres moved to Portugal.

When Gyokeres is not carrying the goalscoring burden himself, those channel runs still go to good use as he provides for others.

Sporting’s No 9 has just one assist in the league so far this campaign, but a rate of 0.24 expected assists per 90 minutes — which is the expected goals value of the shot that is assisted — is identical to his rate last season, where he bagged 10 league assists.

Against Uniao Leiria in February, it is a similar pattern with a channel ball played by Santos and Gyokeres driving forward — only this time, he cuts the ball back to an oncoming Pedro Goncalves.

If you need further evidence for this one, just run the tape on Sporting’s goals against Benfica, Estoril (twice) and Porto last season.

Gyokeres’s strength, power, and goalscoring touch are undeniable, but there is a key question hanging over him — can he cut it at the highest level?

Given the plaudits he is receiving, it is remarkable to think that the 26-year-old is yet to play in the top five European leagues in his career. He did threaten to do so during his time at Brighton and Coventry City, but Gyokeres’ time spent in English football was a little… strange.

Having signed for Brighton in 2017, he failed to make an impact on the south coast with his first-team minutes limited to a smattering of cup matches. Mixed loan successes at 2.Bundesliga St. Pauli and Swansea City saw few people raise their eyebrows to his quality, before a move to Coventry City allowed the Swedish striker to flourish.

After 17 Championship goals in his first full season, Gyokeres swiftly followed up with a further 21 strikes as Coventry marginally missed out on promotion to the Premier League — losing to Luton Town on penalties in the play-off final. Had Coventry won that day, Gyokeres’ career might have taken a different path.

Since his last experience in England, it is fair to say that Gyokeres’ stock has risen considerably.

Playing for Brighton against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup in 2020 (Andy Rain – Pool/Getty Images)

With four years of development, consistent first-team minutes and a style that is suited to his skill set, it is clear that Gyokeres is streets ahead of the player that he was when he failed to make an impact at Brighton and Swansea.

It remains to be seen whether a move to the Premier League would see him make a similar splash to the one made in Portugal, and a word of caution may be advised.

The Primeira Liga is known to be qualitatively and quantitatively unequal across the division, with a lack of competitiveness existing beyond Sporting, Benfica and Porto. Moving to a stronger division with deeper defensive lines would likely come with a period of adaptation.

For example, Darwin Nunez’s goalscoring transition from Benfica to Liverpool saw him score 26 league goals in Portugal his 2021-22 farewell season. However, his 21 Premier League goals combined across his subsequent two and a bit years on Merseyside point to a slide since his move.

A rule for one is rarely a rule for all, but it is a consideration that would undoubtedly be factored into any suitors’ decision-making when looking at Gyokeres’ output.

His Champions League performances, however, may offer the truest measure of his potential, and a hat-trick against Manchester City suggests he has the quality to excel at the highest level of European football. For any defender, giving Gyokeres space is a mistake likely to be swiftly punished.

(Header photo: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)