Arsenal Reach ‘Total Agreement’ for Viktor Gyökeres, Set to Inherit Iconic Shirt Number

 Arsenal Football Club announced on July 25, 2025, that they have reached a “total agreement” to sign Swedish striker Viktor Gyökeres from Sporting CP, with the 27-year-old set to inherit the iconic No. 14 shirt, last worn by Thiery Henry. 

The deal, valued at £65 million plus £10 million in add-ons, follows months of negotiations, with Sporting confirming the transfer after Gyökeres passed a medical in London. The striker, who scored 43 goals and provided 17 assists in 50 appearances during the 2024-25 Primeira Liga season, is seen as the solution to Arsenal’s attacking woes after finishing 3rd in the 2024-25 Premier League.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hailed Gyökeres as “a complete forward,” with the club opting for the No. 14, vacant since Jesus’s 2022 arrival, to signal his status as a key figure. Sporting’s president Frederico Varandas praised the transfer as a “record-breaking exit,” reflecting Gyökeres’s £86 million release clause. 

Fans on X are ecstatic, with some linking the signing to a title challenge, though concerns linger over his adaptation to the Premier League’s pace. The narrative of a marquee acquisition is triumphant, with Arsenal’s attack bolstered, though success will depend on Gyökeres’s integration and the team’s tactical evolution.