Time presses in the heat of summer negotiations. Arsenal’s eyes are fixed on Benjamin Sesko, but their hands are already clasped with another.
Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres has given his word—a verbal pact with the Gunners, a promise waiting for ink as per a tweet by Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri.
Arsenal know the dangers of tunnel vision. A deal can unravel in a single phone call. That’s why Gyokeres waits in the wings—not a backup in quality, but in timing.
Fresh from a season that seems pulled from the pages of sporting folklore—54 goals and 13 assists in 52 games—the 26-year-old is a force built for goals.
Yet questions linger. Can he bend the Premier League to his will, or will he fade, as Darwin Núñez did after crossing from Benfica to Liverpool?
For all the uncertainty, Gyokeres carries the advantage of a predatory instinct few strikers possess. Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta has admired him long, his belief in the Swede running deeper than one season’s numbers. The price is similar to Sesko’s, the risk different, the potential reward perhaps greater.
The Emirates has been starved of that ruthless edge since the days when chances didn’t just arrive—they ended in a net’s ripple.
Whether it is Sesko’s youth and adaptability or Gyokeres’ raw, goal-hungry form, Arsenal are moving to ensure this summer does not end in regret.
The decision will define their season.
In the tension of negotiations, promises matter, but goals matter more.