Latest news with #Brommapojkarna
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Gyokeres the Arsenal answer? 'If there's a shooting drill, he wants to win it.'
Dalibor Savic saw plenty of top talents come and go during his time coaching the youth sides at Swedish club Brommapojkarna, but says there is one thing that set new Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres apart from most. Gyokeres has ended a long-running transfer saga by finally completing his move to Arsenal in a deal worth €63m plus another €10m in possible add-ons, putting pen to paper on a five-year contract. Former head coach of the Brommapojkarna under-19 and under-21 sides, Savic coached Gyokeres during his coming through as a youngster. Other notable graduates from the club include Tottenham duo Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall, as well as a host of other current and former Sweden internationals. Savic admits Gyokeres was not the most technically gifted talent at the club as a teenager, but says the 27-year-old's mentality and desire is what has got him to this point. 'His biggest talent is that he's so determined and focused and stubborn,' Savic explains. 'And he doesn't give up, because many players maybe stop dreaming about Premier League when you reach the age of 27, but he keeps working for it and tries to be a better player every week and every day. 'Everybody knew that Viktor was going to be a top player, but reaching these clubs that we're talking about, the Premier League or Serie A or La Liga or Ligue 1, the top, top, top clubs, you can never predict that. 'I think that all of us coaches, we're just a small part of his football journey. We're just a small part of putting him in the right position to work with his strengths, trying to give him advice. 'But all the hard work comes from Viktor, with the extra training, with the extra determination, extra focus.' Gyokeres moved to Brighton & Hove Albion after leaving his native Sweden but failed to break through at the club, and was loaned out to German side St Pauli, Swansea City and then Coventry City, where he would join permanently in 2021. It was his performances in the Championship which earned him a move to Champions League club Sporting CP. There, he would rapidly establish himself as one of the top strikers in Europe, scoring 97 goals in 102 games for the club in all competitions. 'I think he made the right choice going to Portugal and going to one of the better clubs there, maybe the best club,' Savic says. 'I mean, if you score like 44 goals or whatever he did in one season, you're dominating the game. 'And with his physicality and always being in the box, finishing with the left foot, with the right foot. And of course, Sporting Lisbon is creating, I don't know, 15, 20 chances per game. He's probably going to score one or two per game. 'So I think it was wise for him to go to a minor league, but to a top club. If you remember Henrik Larsson, he went from Feyenoord to Celtic playing in the biggest and the best club in Scotland and grew as a player to be an important player and an important goal scorer.' Arsenal's injury crisis paired with a shortage of attacking options led to boss Mikel Arteta having to play central midfielder Mikel Merino up front for a large stretch of the previous campaign, including in their Champions League semi-final clash with PSG in which they managed just one goal across the two legs. Gyokeres has been brought in as the answer to Arsenal's shortage of goals compared with their rivals, with boss Mikel Arteta hoping he can provide the missing link which will take his side from nearly men to trophy winners. Savic says Gyokeres' hunger to win, which was evident from such a young age, bodes well for the Gunners. 'When you have that mentality, as Viktor had, if we had a game and we lost it, he was mad, he was upset, he didn't like it and he always wanted to win the next game,' he said. 'I don't want to say he's not fun to be around, he's always fun to be around because he's a good teammate. I think he's humble, I think coaches like him, I think the other players like him, but he wants to win. 'If there's a shooting drill, he wants to win it. If it's a running drill, he wants to win it. So I think this mentality is what has taken him to the top level of football because I had a lot of talented players who'd stop working, you know, because they were talented, but they didn't have the mentality that you need to have to reach top level.' The challenge now, Savic says, is for Gyokeres to show he is the world class talent he always dreamt he would be when he was playing for Brommapojkarna. 'Of course, everybody knows that Viktor is a top-level player, top striker in Europe right now. But the question is, is he a world-class player? And I think this is what he needs to prove by coming to Arsenal."
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The small Swedish club who made Gyokeres, Kulusevski & Bergvall
"We don't have a lot of people in the stands, but we surely have a lot of scouts," explains Erik Nathorst Windahl, academy manager at Brommapojkarna. "In some games, mainly in the academy, it's the mums, dads... and then scouts." That is because Swedish top-flight outfit Brommapojkarna, while relatively unknown outside of their own country, have become a hotbed for young talent. Notable alumni include Tottenham Hotspur pair Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski, as well as Borussia Dortmund's Daniel Svensson. But the current highest-profile former BP youngster is Viktor Gyokeres, the 27-year-old Swedish striker who is on the verge of joining Arsenal from Sporting CP in a £63.5m deal. Gyokeres, however, was not always regarded as one of Sweden's brightest prospects, with the forward playing for regional side IFK Aspudden-Tellus until the age of 15, when he joined BP. Nathorst Windahl, who has worked for BP since 2009 and became academy manager in 2021, admits: "It's really rare that a player can be at a smaller club [until that age] and then go to a big academy. "Maybe he would have been even better if he came to us earlier than he did. But on the other hand, he was the top scorer and got all the passes when he played in his club. "I can't find a player now who is in our national team or has been in our club that has been in a smaller club for so long and then goes to an academy, so actually it's unique. "He was a late bloomer. There were a lot of boys born in 1998 in Sweden that had a higher rank than him." At BP, Gyokeres blossomed into a clinical and unrelenting finisher. He made his debut aged 16 and a tally of 25 goals in 67 games piqued Brighton's interest. "He played one year in our academy before he went to the senior team, because he was mentally ready to play against men when he was still a boy," adds Nathorst Windahl. "When he came here, he was a good striker but when he left I think he had the whole package." Gyokeres is one of many players who have benefited from Brommapojkarna's footballing school. They boast the title of Europe's largest club when it comes to number of youth teams - there are more than 4,500 members split across 250 various youth teams at different age groups. The numbers are large but the process is efficient and utilised to ensure each player is maximising their ability. Most play for one of BP's grassroot sides, with the more talented players representing the club's A to C teams. In one under-16 division, Brommapojkarna have had to be capped at three teams. Englishman Shaun Constable managed the Stockholm outfit between December 2019 until December 2020. "When you're driving around the Grimsta or Bromma area, there's never a pitch that's empty," he says. "And normally you're watching some kind of game going on with black and red stripes - the BP are everywhere. "You have that many kids and teams in the same age groups, you need pitches everywhere." Coaches from different age groups, as well as the senior team, work between squads to allow players to transition as seamlessly as possible. "I would say that this kind of work is really unique in Swedish football," says BP's sporting director Philip Berglund. "I have worked in several clubs but no clubs work in this way. "We have integrated three teams together in a way that the under-17 coaches and under-19 coaches are also with the first team as assistant coaches, and our first team coaches also work two days a week with the youth teams. "We don't want them as different kind of islands. It also makes it easier for us to integrate the youth players in the first team when the first team coach knows exactly everything about our biggest talents." Another impressive feature of BP's operation is that many of their players come from Stockholm or the surrounding areas - like Gyokeres, Kulusevski and Bergvall. Berglund adds: "I think it's really important that you try to do the best of everything in Stockholm before you try to see different cities." Nathorst Windahl explains: "We have the history in Stockholm that Brommapojkarna has always been number one in talent and scouting, that's one of our key successes. "Every player knows the other players that have been here and gone on to become professional have always spoken about the time at Brommapojkarna as the foundation that got them to where they are today. "It is like religion. If you think that we can help you in giving you a good chance to become a professional player, then you have to believe us, trust us, follow us. "It's rare that we bring players in from different cities in Sweden, so when I saw Barcelona bring players from Asia, we brought a player in who was 15 minutes away by bus." BP have enjoyed great success against big European teams such as Paris St-Germain and Ajax in their lower age groups, but Nathorst Windahl says beyond the age of 15 it can be difficult to compete. Kulusevski, for example, left Brommapojkarna at 15 to join Atalanta's academy, before moving on to Juventus two years later and then Tottenham in January 2022. Tipped for big things as a youngster by Nathorst Windahl, the 25-year-old has won Sweden's Guldbollen, an award given to the country's best player, in two of the past three years. Gyokeres took the prize in 2024. Bergvall, meanwhile, came through BP's ranks, helping them win promotion back to the top flight before moving to Swedish champions Djurgarden. He joined Spurs aged 18 last summer. "Lucas is the perfect central midfielder. I think that he can play in any club in the world. No problem," says Nathorst Windahl. "I think that he is the Swedish player that the younger boys from Sweden and Scandinavia should have on their walls, because he is going to be the best. "When you are a young boy, you like the goalkeeper because you are a goalkeeper or maybe the top scorer, or the one with the coolest haircut. "But if you look at Lucas, he looks like a model. He can run, he can shoot, he can pass and dribble. "We are happy that we have helped him from six years old to 17 to then be where he is today. "I don't like the word talent, but he was a talent from the day he was born." It is Gyokeres, however, who is set to become the most expensive player to emerge through the club, despite struggling after initially joining Brighton. A move to Coventry helped him regain that scoring threat and in Lisbon he became lethal - with 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting, prompting Arsenal's interest. "I think what we have seen in Sporting now is what we have seen him do in the First and Second Division in Swedish football," says Nathorst Windahl. "The most important thing for Viktor is to be in a club where he starts every game and where he can be Viktor Gyokeres and not just another player to impress the coach. "It's not ego, not at all, but I think that he chose clubs due to that strategy. So when he went to Sporting Lisbon, I think that he thought 100% that he was going to be the star." For Brommapojkarna - who draw crowds of around 10% of Stockholm neighbours AIK's average 38,525 attendance this season - these success stories help keep eyes on the club, where they rely on selling on their best young talent. "The biggest income in the club is the transfer income because we don't earn enough money with the supporters," says Berglund. "We don't have so many fans, but we have a few and we love them. "But it's not making enough money, so we need to sell players every year, almost like the biggest club in the Swedish league, and we do that and it is fantastic." Zubimendi ready for 'new things' after year-long wait to join Arsenal Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast
The Herald Scotland
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Aberdeen man backs Kasper Schmeichel but says Dimitar Mitov is better
The Dane, who only moved to this country from Brommapojkarna in Sweden back in January, is convinced it will be the first of many celebrations which they enjoy together. The 23-year-old, who played at right wing-back in the 3-4-3 formation which Thelin switched to in the final against Celtic, is convinced Aberdeen will perform at an even higher level at home and abroad in the 2025/26 campaign. Read more: "We're looking forward to next season,' he said. 'We believe we can still get better every day. I do believe this is just the start with Jimmy Thelin. I think we can be even better next season. "We know we can be better in the league (Graeme Shinnie and his team mates finished fifth in the William Hill Premiership after losing to Dundee United at Tannadice in their final game). It feels amazing to win the Scottish Cup and hopefully we can create even more history for this club." Thelin's change of tactics raised eyebrows before kick-off on Saturday. But the new set-up had the desired impact as Brendan Rodgers' men struggled to create or convert scoring chances. Jensen feels Aberdeen may be less porous at the back and more difficult to beat going forward. "Before in the season in our games against Celtic, we'd maybe tried to be more offensive,' he said. "On Saturday, we made some changes and obviously it was a great choice. "Over the last couple of weeks, it's felt like when our opponent scores once they go on and keep scoring. It was good from us I thought to stay calm and stick to our plan. All the subs that came on did amazing. As a team, to win trophies you need everyone to contribute. They certainly did that. "We had a strong belief when we went into the game that we were here to win. We talked about it a lot and that gave us belief. We knew we had a great chance. This is without a doubt the biggest achievement of my career." (Image: Jane Barlow - PA Wire) Jensen was surprised when he saw his compatriot Kasper Schmeichel fumble a Shay Logan cross into his own goal late on at Hampden on Saturday – but he was always confident that Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov would rise to the occasion when it went to spot kicks. Sure enough, the Bulgarian internationalist denied first Callum McGregor and then Alistair Johnston to clinch a 4-2 shootout victory and a first Scottish Cup triumph since way back in 1990. The penalty shootout triumph over Celtic on Saturday secured a place in the Europa League play-off round – and ensured that Aberdeen will play European group stage football next term as they will drop into the Conference League if they lose that double header. Read more: "Actually, I didn't notice what had happened (with the Schmeichel own goal) at the time,' he said. "I thought it had been hit in by a defender. It's not often you see that from him. "Mitov was unbelievable throughout the game. We had a feeling when they missed that chance at the end (the keeper denied Daizen Maeda with a superb save at the death), that it could be our day. And it turned out that way which was fantastic. "We practiced penalties on Friday. I was down as number six. I knew with our goalkeeper that we had a good chance. I'd seen Kasper saving penalties for the national team, so I knew he was good. But I knew we had an even better goalkeeper." Jensen confessed that getting the chance to play in continental competition was why he moved to Scotland at the start of this year 'It does mean a lot for the club,' he said. "That is almost more important as a reward. Now we are in the play-offs of the Europa League and we are guaranteed European group stage football. That is amazing and it's one of the reasons why I came here. We're looking forward to it."
Press and Journal
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin delivers Alexander Jensen fitness update ahead of Rangers clash
Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin will make a late fitness call on right-back Alexander Jensen ahead of Sunday's Premiership clash at Rangers. Jensen was ruled out of the 1-0 loss at St Mirren at the weekend due to a quad muscle injury. Scotland international full-back Nicky Devlin came in to replace Jensen for his first Aberdeen start since February 1. Jensen has been the regular starter at right-back since signing from Swedish Allsvenskan club Brommapojkarna for £545,000 in January. Aberdeen travel to Ibrox on Sunday in need of a win to keep alive the bid to finish third in the Premiership. Thelin's Reds trail third-placed Hibs by three points with the Easter Road club also holding a superior goal advantage. Asked if Jensen will be fit to face Rangers, Thelin said: 'Let's see how we manage him. 'He trained fully today and we have three games in the next week. 'So let's see how much he can tolerate, but we have a good squad.' Midfielder Sivert Heltne Nilsen, striker Ester Sokler and winger Vicente Besuijen are all ruled out for the rest of the season. Latvia international centre-back Kristers Tobers has returned to training after being sidelined for two months with a hamstring injury.
