Arsenal defender William Saliba admits facing new signing Viktor Gyokeres was “scary,” but now he’s thrilled the prolific striker is on his side and ready to end the Gunners’ trophy drought.
Saliba: “Scary” Striker Gyokeres Will Fire Arsenal to Trophies
Saliba, who battled Gyokeres in last season’s Champions League, expressed immense relief and excitement after Arsenal secured their primary target in a £64 million deal from Sporting CP.
“We know how good he is, it’s scary to play against him,” Saliba confessed to reporters.
“Of course, I’m so happy to have him in my club and I’m sure that he will help us to win games and win trophies.”
The French centre-back pinpointed Gyokeres’ lethal goalscoring threat as the source of his apprehension when facing the Swede.
“[He is scary] because when you face a striker who scores goals, you have to be focused! But now he’s in our team and he will score for us, so that’s good.”
Gyokeres, arriving off the back of two exceptional goalscoring seasons in Portugal, is poised to make his debut in Arsenal’s final pre-season fixture against Tottenham this week. His integration into Mikel Arteta’s squad is already underway.
Saliba emphasized that Gyokeres represents a key piece in Arsenal’s quest for silverware, having narrowly missed out on the Premier League title in the past two seasons. The club hasn’t lifted a major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup.
“Every year is different. We have to learn from the last three seasons,” Saliba stated.
“Of course, we are lucky to have a chance to compete in the Premier League again to try to win. Our mindset is to win the Premier League and we will give everything from the first game.”
He highlighted the impact of the club’s summer signings, including Gyokeres: “We have a lot of new players and they will hopefully help us to win this league.”
With Saliba anchoring the defence and Gyokeres now leading the line, Arsenal’s players believe the firepower they’ve added can finally bridge the gap and deliver long-awaited success.
