{"id":1010,"date":"2026-04-07T18:34:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=1010"},"modified":"2026-04-07T18:34:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:34:47","slug":"viktor-gyokeres-excited-to-prove-worth-to-arsenal-and-down-sporting-after-bitter-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=1010","title":{"rendered":"Viktor Gyokeres &#8216;excited&#8217; to prove worth to Arsenal and down Sporting after bitter exit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_09e96c\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">Viktor Gyokeres will be in the spotlight on Tuesday night when the Arsenal striker returns to ex-club Sporting Lisbon in the quarter finals of the Champions League<\/h2>\n<div class=\"Byline_byline-container__K_Owl\" data-testid=\"byline\"><span class=\"Byline_byline-content-wrapper__Imque\" data-testid=\"byline-content\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"Byline_author-badge-date-wrapper__Q7jj1\">\n<p><span class=\"\" data-testid=\"byline-publishedDate\">20:52, 06 Apr 2026<\/span><span class=\"ArticleTimestamp_updated-date__7qD4Q ArticleTimestamp_updated-date-with-published__iFKpF\" data-testid=\"byline-updatedDate\">Updated 20:55, 06 Apr 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36976430\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Viktor Gyokeres\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36976430.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2269273791.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36976430.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/0_GettyImages-2269273791.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36976430.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/0_GettyImages-2269273791.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36976430.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2269273791.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Viktor Gyokeres will be out to hurt his old club on Tuesday\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Viktor Gyokeres will be out to hurt his old club on Tuesday<cite aria-label=\"Image: AFP \" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: AFP )<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Viktor Gyokeres has got goals running through his veins ahead of his emotional return to Sporting Lisbon. Arsenal striker Gyokeres faces his old club for the first time since his protracted \u00a364million transfer to the Emirates last summer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It became an ugly saga at times before the deal eventually went through and that may mean the Sweden international may get a hot reception from the Sporting fans. But Mikel Arteta insists that Gyokeres is actually fired up and ready to embrace a big night for him personally and an even bigger night for Arsenal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Gyokeres, 27, had a prolific two years at Sporting and has managed 17 goals in all competitions this season and will be full of confidence after his goal sent Sweden to the World Cup finals after they beat Poland in the play-offs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Gunners boss Arteta said: \u201cI mean, those are experiences that you put in your veins, I would say. And it doesn&#8217;t get much better than putting your country into a World Cup with a goal that you scored. So that&#8217;s still there, and that&#8217;s going to be there for the rest of his career, like all the moments that he&#8217;s here, the moments that he&#8217;s creating for us.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE!<\/strong><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mirrorfootballarsenal#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">  Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook page<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_4f362a\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">Mikel Arteta hits back at Arsenal&#8217;s critics with firm message before Sporting clash<\/span><\/span><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_4f362a\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">Arsenal handed triple injury boost for Sporting clash but Mikel Arteta rules two stars out<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cAnd that&#8217;s the story that he&#8217;s creating, and hopefully tomorrow he&#8217;s going to show another very good side of himself. I think he&#8217;s very excited. He&#8217;s full of gratitude for his time here. The way he talks about the club, the players, the staff, everybody around the club. The experience that he had, how important that part of his journey in Sporting has been.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Arsenal beat Sporting 5-1 in the Champions League last season in the group stage when Gyokeres was playing for his old club but was marked out of the game by William Saliba and Gabriel. But Arteta insisted that Arsenal had been watching Gyokeres for some time and he ticked all the boxes &#8211; and now he is proving his worth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">It undoubtedly took the former Brighton and Coventry striker time to settle at Arsenal and is probably still getting to grips with football at the very highest level. But Arteta says Gyokeres is exactly where he expected him to be &#8211; and now believes he can score the goals to deliver the trophies this season.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36976402\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36976402\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.23\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres of Arsenal during the Arsenal training session\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36976402.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2270041990.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36976402.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_GettyImages-2270041990.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36976402.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-2270041990.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36976402.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2270041990.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres are vying for a starting spot\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres are vying for a starting spot<cite aria-label=\"Image: David Price\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: David Price\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Arteta added: \u201cWell, he&#8217;s been on our radar for years, but the most recent moment when we really looked at him as one of the top targets was around December of last year, when we started to really think about, especially the issue that we had with Kai Havertz.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cHe became one of the main candidates, and then the main candidate to be part of our club. I think it&#8217;s where he is, and how successful the season is going to be for us, and when we analyse his season, it&#8217;s going to be defined in the last seven or eight weeks of the season. That\u2019s clear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Arteta also revealed that he has spoken to Gyokeres to get the inside track on Sporting with the Portuguese giants hoping to reach their first ever Champions League semi final.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Arteta believes they will face a much tougher test this time and said: \u201cOf course I spoke to him, just to understand the dynamic, the culture here, the things that they have talked, and to have more information about them that we can use in our favour. A lot of qualities, obviously, what they&#8217;re doing is remarkable, and the record that they had at home is just incredible. So, you need to be very good to maintain those levels of performance and consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36965577\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36965577\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Viktor Gyokeres of Sweden celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Ukraine and Sweden at Ciutat de Valencia stadium in Valencia, Spain, on March 26, 2026. (Photo by David Aliaga\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36965577.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2268017534.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36965577.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_GettyImages-2268017534.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36965577.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-2268017534.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36965577.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2268017534.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Viktor Gyokeres was Sweden's hero in the international break\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Viktor Gyokeres was Sweden&#8217;s hero in the international break<cite aria-label=\"Image: David Aliaga\/NurPhoto via Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: David Aliaga\/Nur Photo via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Meanwhile, Arsenal keeper David Raya insists the squad can use the disappointment of losing their last two games in the Carabao Cup final and then being knocked out of the FA Cup at Southampton as \u201cfuel.\u201d Raya said: \u201cNow that it\u2019s gone we have to use that fuel, that pain that we had after the game to make sure we are ready for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t think the word is pressure, it\u2019s an opportunity to show what we are capable of to win the game. We are in a really good position in both competitions. It is that happiness out there you have to enjoy it over the next couple of months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cWe know it is going to be very tough, their record at home is really good. We are ready for it. We have to be together, enjoy being together, out there playing football, If you don\u2019t it&#8217;s not worth it. We have to focus on ourselves. It is a massive opportunity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cEvery game is an opportunity to show what team we are and what we want. We have to be ourselves. This team is ready for everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/Feq1SEG6mXDIZGTTnek7oz\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><em>Join our new WhatsApp community<\/em><\/a>  and receive your daily dose of <em>Mirror<\/em> <em>Football<\/em> content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don&#8217;t like our community, you can check out any time you like. 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