New Arsenal signing Viktor Gyokeres says he just wants “to do my own thing” after taking the number 14 shirt previously worn by the club’s all-time leading goalscorer Thierry Henry.
The 27-year-old completed his transfer – worth up to £64m (73m euros) – on Saturday, ending the Gunners’ hunt for a striker to help their quest to lift a trophy for the first time since the FA Cup in 2020 in Mikel Arteta’s first season.
Henry’s 228 goals in 377 games made him synonymous with Arsenal’s number 14 shirt.
And speaking before what could be his first match in Arsenal colours in Hong Kong against rivals Tottenham on Thursday, Gyokeres says it was an “easy” choice to make when selecting his squad number.
“Of course I know about the history,” said Gyokeres.
“To be honest there weren’t so many numbers available. There weren’t too many to pick from.
“But of course, that one was available. So when I knew that it was an easy choice to take it.”
Henry won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Premier League Golden Boot four times with Arsenal, but Gyokeres is not worried about any comparisons that may come between the two.
“I don’t know. It’s not really my intention to be compared with what he’s achieved in his career,” he said.
“Especially here. I just want to do my own thing and show my qualities. Of course he was an amazing player, but different from me. I just want to try to do my own thing.”
Arteta said he felt the number would be a good fit for Gyokeres after their initial meeting.
“I use the word conviction and that’s the first thing that I noticed when I spoke to him,” he explained.
“Someone very determined, someone that was already really attached to the club the way he was talking about the club, the history and in this case Thierry and what the shirt represented. He straight away felt it, and when you feel it – go for it.”
There has been a huge fan reaction to Gyokeres’ signing with purchases of his replica shirt breaking club records.
“Of course it’s great to see. It’s very nice. Of course that gives you extra motivation,” he added.
“I think I have enough expectations on myself. I’ll just try to perform anyway.”
‘Joining Arsenal wasn’t a difficult choice’
The signing of Gyokeres was one of the longest running transfers of the summer and it was held up in the final week while Arsenal and Sporting negotiated over the add-ons to the transfer fee.
Sporting’s club president Frederico Varandas also said that Gyokeres faced disciplinary action after failing to report for training, while every stage of the deal created a lot of fan interest.
“It’s been a new experience. I haven’t really been in that situation before,” Gyokeres said.
“It’s been a lot of waiting from my side. I wanted to come here, but it wasn’t that easy. But I’m finally here and it feels great.
“I tried to train as much as possible by myself and keep the day going. A lot of days were the same kind of routine.
“I woke up, trained, had dinner and then went to bed again. It was like that for a few weeks, but it was worth it for sure.”
His new manager Arteta has spoken about the excitement that he and the players have about the signing of the Sweden international and Gyokeres says he felt “that they wanted me here”.
He added: “Also because it’s a very big club with a lot of history. I just felt that I really wanted to come here and be a part of this club.
“I think you can always have a decision of your future. Of course there were other clubs as well, but I didn’t feel it was a difficult choice for me this time.”
Gyokeres scored 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting and registered 26 assists and although the striker backs himself to succeed in the Premier League, he thinks there will be a period of transititon.
“I think I’ll have to adapt. But I think there are a lot of players from Portugal who have done even better in England. It depends on who you pick,” he said.
“I think it’s difficult to compare one player to another. And how they’re performing in a different league.
“Because there are a lot of different factors. Not only a better league. If you play in a better team also, it makes it easier. Especially if you’re an attacking player. So we’ll have to see.”
Gyokeres has only been with his team-mates for a few days but has said that Arteta has already made clear what he wants from him.
“Just try to use my qualities as much as I can,” he said.
“But as you said, I haven’t been here too long. I’ve only done one training session.
“I think I have to do a few more to come into it even more. So far it’s been feeling great. I’m looking forward to doing even more.”