Gyokeres to Everton? The €60m transfer nobody saw coming
Viktor Gyokeres has grown unhappy at Arsenal due to a lack of opportunities, opening the door for Everton to make a sensational move for the Sweden international forward.
Gyokeres’ future has grown increasingly uncertain since the summer, with the Sunday Mirror the latest to claim that he is keen to leave the Premier League champions as he has grown frustrated at his role as a substitute.
When the 28-year-old signed from Sporting CP little over a year ago in a deal worth €65.8 million, he was expected to become Mikel Arteta’s figurehead, but having scored 21 goals last season, Kai Havertz is back in favour after an injury-hit campaign.
He has featured on seven occasions for the Gunners this season but has yet to find the net. Crucially, he has not started in the Premier League yet this term and has played only 80 minutes across the first seven games of the campaign.
Frustrated with this situation, Gyokeres is assessing his options, and Everton have emerged as his ideal transfer destination, according to the analysis of SciSports.
Gyokeres is a strong fit for Everton
David Moyes’ side are almost perfectly set up to get the best from Gyokeres, according to SciSports’ Career Advice tool, which evaluates moves based on criteria ranging from development and game time to playing style and formation.
At 28, Gyokeres is in his peak years and clearly wants to play as often as possible. Everton would allow him to do this, with the Toffees scoring a perfect five stars for playing time. The Merseysiders also hit five for their playing style and four for formation.
Any doubts over the deal come in the form of development, with only two stars in this category. Gyokeres may well feel this is something worth sacrificing to have his potential maximised in the meantime after a complicated spell at Arsenal.
Everton, meanwhile, are in need of firepower, which was recognised by the club at the end of the summer transfer window as they missed out on both Monaco’s Folarin Balogun and Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee in the hours before it closed.
Thierno Barry is currently the only natural centre-forward on the books of Moyes’ squad, with the 23-year-old’s form having been erratic in front of goal since arriving at the club from Villarreal. Although he has scored three times in the Premier League this season, two of these goals have come against newly promoted opponents.
Gyokeres represents a more proven option, with SciSports of the opinion that the Swede would instantly become the best player in Everton’s squad.
Everton need to smash their transfer record
The transfer fee is likely to prove a stumbling block in any deal. Gyokeres has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €69.2 million, while Arsenal will seek to recoup as much of the money that they spent to sign him from Sporting as possible – particularly as they would need to add a replacement themselves.
Everton have never shopped at this level in the transfer market before. The Toffees’ record signing remains Gylfi Sigurdsson, who they signed from Swansea in 2017 for €49.4m.
Since then, they have topped €40m only once – when they signed Tyler Dibling from Southampton for €40.5m a year ago.
However, Everton were ready to spend €47.5m to sign Balogun in the summer before he failed a medical. Could they find another €10m or so for Gyokeres? It would be a bold move, but could rejuvenate the player and change the trajectory of the club.
