Viktor Gyökeres - Sporting Striker

Love his style, almost a throwback to a traditional number 9, love to see him step up in Champions League, when we didn't get Sesko and Isak was out of our league, this guy should have been a bit of a no brainer for us (Arsenal).

Unfortunately the hype will now be around him, and we don't tend to win transfer battles. Sesko remains a top 'project' in my opinion, a bit like with Hojlund whoever signs him will have to be patient, Gyokeres is for the here and now.
 
Giggsyking said:
I wish am wrong. But back to the same point we discussed in the summer, we needed goals, Hojlund scored 7 goals before joining us. Viktor would have provided more goals than Hojlund.
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Judge him after at least 1 full season in a good team that provides him with chances. His stocks will skyrocket
 
Impressive performance and really liked his intensity. He looked quite similar to Hojlund overall so I have some hope Amorim can boost Rasmus’ game to a similar level and save us having to splash yet another ridiculous fee. He will have the majority of a season to prove if he can at least.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
I have to say I was really impressed with his running, he made them time and time again stretching the defence who really didn't know how to deal with it.
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It's amazing how effective just knowing how to properly run the channels as a forward can be. Almost a dying art at times, but as we seen negatively with England in the summer, what a difference having a willing runner makes. Can make all the difference in terms of stretching teams.
 
Dwight Corke said:
You are making us second guess our math and English comprehension skills.

85 Goal contributions/66 matches = 1.29 goal contributions per game

66 matches/85 goal contributions = 0.77 matches per goal contribution.

I think scoring or assisting every 0.77 matches is the correct statement.
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D’oh!

harms said:
If he scores and assists once per 1,29, he should have more games than goal contributions (he doesn’t). Scoring or assisting once per 0,77 is better than doing so once per 1,29… it should be obvious but apparently it’s not. I’m guessing it’s because usually people say goals per game, so the higher number seems intrinsically better?
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D’oh!


Once I saw the three notifications quoting my post I knew I’d fecked up
 
abraz79 said:
One good thing about Gyökeres is that he's still very useful even when he isn't getting enough supply. He can create chances, he's strong and can hold a ball or progress with it with power runs, giving time for the team to catchup. And he has a knack to get out of tight markings and pressing AND usually makes good choices with the last touch on the ball. One thing is sure, you can notice the adversary's defenders get a little bit nervous everytime the ball goes to him.
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Just a reminder
 
DWelbz19 said:
A 26 year old striker having 3+ years thundering about with similar numbers to what he’s putting up is more than fine. You guys get too bogged down in this long term lark. Football is played seasonal. Treat it that way.
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Exactly. No-one ever complains about the RvP money despite us only really getting a season out of him.
 
DOTA said:
He's a 26 year old Primeira Liga player, I don't think he's going for £100m.
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Our league might be several notches below the main ones, but time and time again our best players turn out to be among the very best

Hell... Even Luis Diaz, who wasn't that spectacular here, also scored a hat trick yesterday
 
DWelbz19 said:
A 26 year old striker having 3+ years thundering about with similar numbers to what he’s putting up is more than fine. You guys get too bogged down in this long term lark. Football is played seasonal. Treat it that way.
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I said more than that in the post. He may simply have the genetics for it. He may modify his style over time. But no, 3yrs on a 5 or 6 is a modest return if it's possible to get more out with key adjustments if they are necessary.

At the rate he's going, the fee would be extortionate so you want as good a return on that as you can get.
youngrell said:
Impressive performance and really liked his intensity. He looked quite similar to Hojlund overall so I have some hope Amorim can boost Rasmus’ game to a similar level and save us having to splash yet another ridiculous fee. He will have the majority of a season to prove if he can at least.
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They're really nothing alike, I don't get why a comparison is being forced. Højlund has a tonne to learn. For one of many examples, he tussles with CB's far, far too much instead of preoccupying them with clever, elusive movement into powerful, problematic runs of shoulders that force do or die situations.

He isn't sharp on his angles or preemptive movements yet; he rarely cuts across CB's and a whole lot more.

Højlund is currently years behind where this guy is, so much so, it would have been beneficial for him to be on loan honing and refining his craft.

I'm not down on Højlund like the people slamming him in his thread, but I do think he's 2-3 years wet behind the ears currently and shouldn't have to learn on the job under such an intense spotlight. By contrast, this guy is good to go right now and we have not had a primed striker since a declining Zlatan laced them up.
abraz79 said:
Just a reminder
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Excellent analysis. Pretty much exactly how I felt watching him. Like that he showed exactly what you wrote.
Bwuk said:
Exactly. No-one ever complains about the RvP money despite us only really getting a season out of him.
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Because RVP wasn't expensive.
 
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José Mateus said:
Our league might be several notches below the main ones, but time and time again our best players turn out to be among the very best

Hell... Even Luis Diaz, who wasn't that spectacular here, also scored a hat trick yesterday
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25 years old and 35 million is the difference. This guy will be 2 years older, and (apparently) 2.5 times the price.... You'd take a gamble at 35 million.
 
Camilo said:
25 years old and 35 million is the difference. This guy will be 2 years older, and (apparently) 2.5 times the price.... You'd take a gamble at 35 million.
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Bruno seems the best direct comparison. Stayed at sporting till he was 26 after moving around smaller teams in Italy for a few years and not doing particularly great. The money we paid for him would probably be comparable to what Gyokeres would cost.
 
José Mateus said:
Our league might be several notches below the main ones, but time and time again our best players turn out to be among the very best

Hell... Even Luis Diaz, who wasn't that spectacular here, also scored a hat trick yesterday
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Luís Diaz numbers on his last half a season at Porto were very good. 18 games 14 goals and 4 assists and he is not a striker.

That’s why Liverpool got him in January.
 
I guess I'm the only one who wasn't that impressed with him?

Wasn't really involved at all first half, seemed to be offside a lot. Missed one (maybe two?) guilt edged chances, and his first goal was more scuff than finish. Scored 2 penalties, and mostly bullied City's inexperienced CB.

I'm sure he'd score goals in the PL, but nowhere near as many as he does in Portugal, especially for this United team. Would he even take penalties here? Probably not.

This isn't a player that will transform a team's fortunes.
 
Question is hypothetically if you had to do a direct swap with Hojlund for Gyökeres this minute in time would you?
 
Cassidy said:
100% yes
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100% same as myself, I'm finding Hojlund extremely average and limited player. I know he's only 21 but not seeing any outstanding characteristics whatsoever from him in any of his game. Can't really dribble, extremely slow with the ball at his feet, takes a century to turn with the ball, heading ain't great, poor balance and hold up play.
 
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Fortitude said:
I said more than that in the post. He may simply have the genetics for it. He may modify his style over time. But no, 3yrs on a 5 or 6 is a modern return if it's possible to get more out with key adjustments if they are necessary.

At the rate he's going, the fee would be extortionate so you want as good a return on that as you can get.

They're really nothing alike, I don't get why a comparison is being forced. Højlund has a tonne to learn. For one of many examples, he tussles with CB's far, far too much instead of preoccupying them with clever, elusive movement into powerful, problematic runs of shoulders that force do or die situations.

He isn't sharp on his angles or preemptive movements yet; he rarely cuts across CB's and a whole lot more.

Højlund is currently years behind where this guy is, so much so, it would have been beneficial for him to be on loan honing and refining his craft.

I'm not down on Højlund like the people slamming him in his thread, but I do think he's 2-3 years wet behind the ears currently and shouldn't have to learn on the job under such an intense spotlight. By contrast, this guy is good to go right now and we have not had a primed striker since a declining Zlatan laced them up.

Excellent analysis. Pretty much exactly how I felt watching him. Like that he showed exactly what you wrote.

Because RVP wasn't expensive.
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His intensity and powerful running is very much like Hojlund. Obviously he is more rounded atm but as I stated in my post that hopefully Amorim can get a similar uptick from Rasmus. Agree that Holland excepts way too much energy battling defenders when he should be using that energy for runs, but that is a very simple tweak in a player's game.

If we hadn't already spent a tonne on Rasmus and been committed to his development then I'm sure it would be a no brainer to go after Gyokeres, but maybe we will see him develop at a faster rate this season. If we can offload one or two of our wingers who are surplus to requirements, or maybe even Zirkzee to some extent, then I can see where we can splash the required cash and they could share plenty of minutes in the same set up as Rasmus develops.
 
youngrell said:
His intensity and powerful running is very much like Hojlund. Obviously he is more rounded atm but as I stated in my post that hopefully Amorim can get a similar uptick from Rasmus. Agree that Holland excepts way too much energy battling defenders when he should be using that energy for runs, but that is a very simple tweak in a player's game.

If we hadn't already spent a tonne on Rasmus and been committed to his development then I'm sure it would be a no brainer to go after Gyokeres, but maybe we will see him develop at a faster rate this season. If we can offload one or two of our wingers who are surplus to requirements, or maybe even Zirkzee to some extent, then I can see where we can splash the required cash and they could share plenty of minutes in the same set up as Rasmus develops.
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Hojlund has the physical attributes to be able to play like Gyokeres, agreed. He has the size and the running power. What he needs to do is hone his craft, and this was always the danger of signing him quite so young. Its a bit of a dilemma, because he needs lots of game time and experience to allow him to do that, but then can someone with the ambitions Utd have afford him that time? As mentioned above previously, I have the same feelings whoever sign Sesko, unless he properly breaks out this year.
 
Albalder said:
Ruben Amorim already told that he is not taking any player form Sporting in January.
Expecting to take Gyokeres for 65M is ludicrous.
*Francisco *Gyokeres
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Amorim: how much transfer fund does united have for the Janurary window.
United: None.
Amorim to Sporting fans: I will not take any players from Sporting in January.
 
Rojofiam said:
Judge him after at least 1 full season in a good team that provides him with chances. His stocks will skyrocket
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If a strikers job was simply to finish chances that were put on a plate they wouldn't cost so much money.

I am not sure why people act like Hojlund not having chances is nothing to do with his own movement or positioning. Many good strikers score goals in poor sides because they have the knack of positioning, anticipation and movement.

Hojlund may become great but he currently has no pedigree or past performance of scoring goals yet people talk as though he is a proven 30 goal a season player that is being let down purely by poor service. He needs to be given some of, if not most of, the blame for his own performances, not just have it all down to lack of service.
 
Woziak said:
I think after tonight it’s gone up to €140m, United missed out on Kane however in reality is buy out is actually €100m(£85m) however this has to be paid in one instalment.

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1969105/ruben-amorim-viktor-gyokeres-man-utd/amp

All the BS that sporting will let him go for £58-65m is just that, he’s clearly going to score 40-50 goals again this season so he’ll be £85m upfront or £100m in 3 instalments, I think United will definitely miss out on the player unless they get this done early and pay his buy out clause before anyone else does as he’s going to have multiple clubs interested this summer.

His relationship with the coach is the only thing for us to hang out hates on here and the fact that United will probably offer him £250-300k per week as he fits the player who merits that salary.
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It’s not BS
 
Apokalips said:
If a strikers job was simply to finish chances that were put on a plate they wouldn't cost so much money.

I am not sure why people act like Hojlund not having chances is nothing to do with his own movement or positioning. Many good strikers score goals in poor sides because they have the knack of positioning, anticipation and movement.

Hojlund may become great but he currently has no pedigree or past performance of scoring goals yet people talk as though he is a proven 30 goal a season player that is being let down purely by poor service. He needs to be given some of, if not most of, the blame for his own performances, not just have it all down to lack of service.
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Obviously, Hojlund is young and still developing. However, his level is already way better than just 10 PL goals and 16 in all comps, provided he plays in a good team.
 
Honestly, I think we need to go for him. I'm a fan of Hojlund and I think he can become a top striker if he applies himself, but I think Gyokeres can be our Haaland and that could be huge in Amorim's setup.
 
Why did Dan Ashworth deem him to be not good enough for Brighton and let him go to Coventry for only £1m? He must have seen or been told something that made him doubt Viktor could succeed at Brighton.
 
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honirelandboy said:
100% same as myself, I'm finding Hojlund extremely average and limited player. I know he's only 21 but not seeing any outstanding characteristics whatsoever from him in any of his game. Can't really dribble, extremely slow with the ball at his feet, takes a century to turn with the ball, heading ain't great, poor balance and hold up play.
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I like Hojlund don't get me wrong, but he isn't ready and we need goals now
 
youngrell said:
His intensity and powerful running is very much like Hojlund. Obviously he is more rounded atm but as I stated in my post that hopefully Amorim can get a similar uptick from Rasmus. Agree that Holland excepts way too much energy battling defenders when he should be using that energy for runs, but that is a very simple tweak in a player's game.

If we hadn't already spent a tonne on Rasmus and been committed to his development then I'm sure it would be a no brainer to go after Gyokeres, but maybe we will see him develop at a faster rate this season. If we can offload one or two of our wingers who are surplus to requirements, or maybe even Zirkzee to some extent, then I can see where we can splash the required cash and they could share plenty of minutes in the same set up as Rasmus develops.
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I’m glad you think that, but I don’t think it’s at all easy. You have to understand why you’re doing those things in the first place then you need to understand what you should be doing instead and you have to learn when to time split or breakaway runs to easily lose your man/men. It’s a craft and skill in itself, which is why so few strikers are lauded for their movement, and the ones that do get praised for it are in extremely high demand.

It’s a massive hole in his game at the moment for club and country and one of the major factors in why he can look lost or anonymous over 90min with people then commenting on all the things he does wrong instead of right.

Some players have that innate quality to read play and understand their role in said play; others learn it over time and plenty of repetitions. Højlund is definitely not the former and the latter needs to be afforded the time and patience to hone and develop their understanding of such a decisive skill.

On top of that, Højlund’s hold up play is practically nonexistent at the moment. He doesn’t even know how to correctly position his body and should probably be forced to watch some Hughes or Cantona on loop to better understand what to do and when when attempting to shield the ball.

My point here isn’t to pile in on Højlund, rather to point out he has a hell of lot to learn and hone into actual assets. He’s on hiding to nothing being compared to those who look like they are - or are near to being - the finished article. Højlund is half-baked and could well do with a season on loan for the sake of his development.

As I have said since he got here, he needs a lot of time before we can truly assess his potential and he shouldn’t be leading the line yet at a club of this stature as opposed to getting a full campaign in the PL at a smaller club where he is allowed to make the mistakes that he will learn and ultimately improve because of.
 
RedRocket9908 said:
The big question we have to ask if why did Dan Ashworth deem him to be not good enough for Brighton and let him go to Coventry for only £1m? He must have seen or been told something that made him doubt Viktor could succeed at Brighton.
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Probably just didnt think he was above Championship level, or not beyond mid table and clearly he was wrong to only sell him for £1.2 million making 200k on what they paid
 
I love Hojlund and I believe he will be a very good CF. But I would rather have two very good CFs than one. So when one is having a dry spell you still have another to rely on.
 
RedRocket9908 said:
Why did Dan Ashworth deem him to be not good enough for Brighton and let him go to Coventry for only £1m? He must have seen or been told something that made him doubt Viktor could succeed at Brighton.
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You cant get everything right when it comes into talents, let alone a late bloomer. This is a good time to rectify his mistake though especially if he knows the player.
 
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