When footballing superpower Arsenal unveiled their sixth most expensive signing in history this summer to be Viktor Gyökeres, a few Swansea fans’ heads were turned, prompting the inevitable question: was he the one that got away?
During a frustrating loan spell, he scored just one goal in twelve games for the Welsh side. Fast forward to last season, the Swedish striker scored 52 goals in 49 games for Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon and has secured his dream move back to the UK to compete for the Premier League title.
Swans fans would be forgiven for asking-where did it all go wrong for Gyökeres and Swansea?
Arrival and expectations
After joining Brighton from St. Pauli in the summer of 2020 and not starting a single league game, Gyökeres signed for Swansea on a season long loan in October of the same year. His arrival sparked excitement amongst fans which was aided by the positive rapport he had with the Brighton faithful.
He appeared to offer a strong, physical presence up front, not seen at the club since the days of Fernando Llorente. With Connor Roberts and Jake Bidwell constantly firing crosses into the box, he was bound to be a success. However, fans’ expectations were high, following the effective loanee the previous year which saw Rhian Brewster score 11 goals in just 22 league games for Steve Cooper’s side as the Swans reached the play offs.
In the shadows
Gyökeres’ short career on the Welsh coast was plagued by regular rotation which saw the rhythm of the Stockholm born forward interrupted and contributed to his lack of success. Competing for a place with fan favourite Andre Ayew, who registered eight goal contributions during the period Gyökeres was at the club alone, was no easy task.
Gyökeres started just three games for Swansea, coming off the bench in a further nine. He was regularly left without an opportunity in games before eventually being recalled by parent club Brighton in January, only to join fellow Championship side Coventry the very next day. Was it inexperience that let him down or was he never given a real chance?
The Swansea Way
Steve Cooper began to steer away from what is widely renowned as ‘The Swansea Way,’ a possession-based style of football first brought about by former boss, Roberto Martinez. Whilst this method was popular amongst fans, boasting a squad laced with England U21 talent, Cooper’s squads were pragmatic and defensively solid. In amongst all this, sleeping giant-Vikor Gyökeres could not prove himself the missing piece of the Swansea puzzle. His direct, combative approach, not dissimilar to that of current talisman Žan Vipotnik, seemed to persistently clash with the approach of Steve Cooper.
Post Swansea Prosperity
After making the switch to Coventry, on loan for the rest of the season, he began to find his feet. Following a permanent transfer in the summer of 2021 to the Sky Blues, he excelled under Mark Robins, before eventually securing his move to Portugal and subsequently to the very top of the English football pyramid with Arsenal.
Cause and consequence
Was it Gyökeres’ difference in style or was he just starved of opportunities? I would argue a combination of Steve Cooper’s inflexible system and the youngster’s inexperience was ultimately to blame. So, as Swans fans sit down to watch Match Of The Day, they ask once more: was Vikor the one that got away?
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