Who is Viktor Gyokeres? The long-term solution to Chelsea's striker woes

 

Despite not playing since May, Ivan Toney still has a lengthy list of potential suitors, with London trio Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea believed to be keen on the Brentford forward next month. However, if reports are to be believed, the Gunners are the frontrunners to sign Toney meaning their rivals need to look elsewhere in their pursuit to strengthen their respective frontlines. 

 

Bournemouth hitman Dominic Solanke has emerged as emerged as a potential target for Spurs but Chelsea are rumoured to be looking a little further afield in their bid to improve in the final third. The Blues are finding more consistency in front of goal this term having netted 29 times after 18 games, and are just nine short of matching last season's total, yet they still have issues. Indeed, that Nicolas Jackson (7) is their top scorer is a problem given his profligacy following his summer arrival from Villarreal. 

 

Christopher Nkunku's availability is a huge boost for Mauricio Pochettino's side, the Frenchman having scored on his league debut in the eventual 2-1 Christmas Eve defeat at Wolves, and finding the right partner for the former RB Leipzig man is key. Jackson's struggles suggest he isn't the long-term solution, while Armando Broja has scored just once in 10 outings following his return from a lengthy spell on the sidelines. 

 

And now reports suggest that Chelsea will seek to prise Viktor Gyokeres away from Liga Bwin leaders Sporting CP in the New Year. The Portuguese side will be reluctant to cash in on the Swede, who has earned a better WhoScored rating (7.76) than any other player in Portugal's top tier this term, but they have previous in selling star players in the January window. 

 

 

While it took until deadline day for the deal to be completed, Sporting sanctioned the sale of Pedro Porro to Tottenham at the turn of the year. They'd demand a huge fee to cash in on Gyokeres, who only moved to Lisbon over the summer for a club-record fee but Chelsea have previous on spending big on players in January, the signing of Enzo Fernandez at the start of 2023 from defending champions Benfica a case in point. 

 

Gyokeres is believed to have a €100m release clause in his contract, which Chelsea would likely have to trigger in order to convince Sporting to sell the 25-year-old in the winter window. The Sweden international's experience in England would certainly ease any qualms over Gyokeres settling in at Stamford Bridge should Chelsea firm up their reported interest in the striker. 

 

As Coventry strived for promotion last season, Gyokeres was the driving force as one of only three players to register double figures for both goals (21) and assists (12) in the Championship. He caught the eyes of Premier League sides but it was Sporting who secured his services and he as adjusted to the rigours of Portuguese football with ease. 

 

Only Braga's Simon Banza (13) has scored more goals than Gyokeres (10) in Liga Bwin this season, while no player has registered more assists than the latter (5). Only Banza (28.9%) has a better conversion rate than Gyokeres (26.3%) of the 38 players to have fired off 20 or more shots in the 2023/24 Liga Bwin campaign to reinforce a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'finishing'. 

 

However as noted by his assists return there is more to Gyokeres' game than just putting the ball in the back of the net. In Mauricio Pochettino's favoured 4-2-3-1 setup, the lone striker needs to work hard out of possession in order to bring teammates into play. Gyokeres has experience in playing such a role from his time with Coventry and with Sporting, with both teams implenting a system that requires a sole frontman to lead the charge at one time or another over the course of their respective seasons. 

 

Gyokeres carries out this duty to a high standard with a desire to link up with his supporting attackers as noted by both a respectable pass success rate of 75.7% from 25.7 passes per 90 and an average of 1.4 key passes per 90. In addition there is also the ability to ease pressure on defences and help peg opponents back. 

 

33 successful dribbles ranks third in Liga Bwin, while Gyokeres has been fouled 40 times, that also placing third this season. Not only is Gyokeres an effective threat when he gets his head down to run at defences but opponents have also identified the frontman as Sporting's key attacking threat and seek to minimise his impact by any means necessary. This not only alleviates pressure on the Sporting backline but provides an alternative route to goal for the Portuguese side, which Chelsea could utilise. 

 

The Blues rank seventh for set-piece goals, excluding penalties in the Premier League this season, while only Arsenal (6) have scored more penalties than Chelsea (5) in England's top tier this term. While Gyokeres is hardly the headline grabbing forward in the same vein as Victor Osimhen for example, there is an argument to be made that his performances in Portugal this season suggest he is the ideal forward for Chelsea under Pochettino. 

 

Chelsea would have to spend big to convince Sporting to sell in January yet Gyokeres' skillset means he could finally be the one to sort the Blues' long-term striker issue.

Who is Viktor Gyokeres? The long-term solution to Chelsea's striker woes