Viktor Gyokeres lined up for dream Arsenal debut but first appearance delayed by Mikel Arteta
Viktor Gyokeres will be made to wait for his Arsenal debut - but it could end up coming against fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The Swedish forward completed a £55m move to North London earlier this week from Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon.
He pens a deal with Arsenal having netted 97 goals in 102 appearances for his former side. And Arsenal fans will certainly be hoping that he continues that record at the Emirates Stadium.
They will be made to wait to see Gyokeres in action for the first time though. According to The Sun, Arsenal's game against Newcastle in Singapore on Sunday will come too soon for Gyokeres.
He has however flown to South East Asia to watch his new teammates in action. While he will miss out this weekend, Gyokeres has a perfect chance to make a mark, with Arsenal set to take on bitter rivals Tottenham in Hong Kong on Thursday.
The striker has already underlined his desire to find the net as soon as possible for his new employers. 'I always want to score,' he said. 'To be a part of this club and to score in this kit and with this badge in front of all the supporters, I can't wait. It will be an amazing feeling.
'I started here [in England], it feels like a long time ago. I think I've improved a lot since then. Now I want to prove myself for real and perform together with the team.
'It's a big honour to play for your country, and then to score goals for them is amazing. When I played at Sporting, I scored a few goals in the Champions League so I feel that I can be on that level as well. Now to come here to a club on Arsenal's level, I think it's going to help me perform even better with all the amazing players in this team. I'm really excited to get going.'
Following the clash with Spurs, Arsenal have a couple of other pre-season friendlies ahead of their Premier League opener against Manchester United at Old Trafford. They take on Spanish side Villarreal before welcoming fellow La Liga side Athletic Bilbao to the Emirates Stadium just over a week before their season curtain raiser.
Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta in the meantime will continue their work in the transfer market. Away from Gyokeres, Arsenal have already spent big this month on Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke from Real Sociedad and Chelsea respectively.
They have also completed further deals for Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga. Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze has emerged as their next potential target.
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