Sweden international is close to a high-profile move to Arsenal, where he could face his former manager at Manchester United
Viktor Gyokeres has spoken warmly of his time under Ruben Amorim at Sporting, saying he “can’t thank him enough” for helping him develop into a top forward.
Amorim coached Gyokeres in the most prolific period of his career so far, which saw the Sweden international score an astonishing 97 goals in two seasons and fire Sporting to consecutive league titles.
The former Coventry forward arrived in Lisbon in 2023 and rapidly evolved into one of Europe’s standout centre-forwards, but he is now closing in on a high-profile move to Arsenal.
The transfer is reportedly in its final stages, with negotiations between the North London club and Sporting understood to be progressing positively.
“We won two championships in a row, for the first time in 71 years,” Gyokeres told L’Équipe. “It’s an incredible achievement, and of course Ruben Amorim played a big role in that. I can’t thank him enough. The style of play we had under his orders suited me perfectly.”
Amorim left Sporting for Manchester United in November 2024, but any prospect of a reunion was quickly ruled out. The Portuguese manager said at the start of his United tenure that he was not considering bringing over any of his ex-players from Sporting.
Gyokeres has also recently made it clear that his preference is a move to Arsenal, citing a desire to play Champions League football. United’s 15th-place Premier League finish and defeat in the Europa League final to Tottenham ruled them out of contention.
Asked how he felt about Amorim leaving Sporting mid-season in November 2024, Gyokeres said: It was a shock. It’s never happened for me before to see a manager leave in the middle of the season when everything was going well.
“It was surprising, but I totally understand his decision. We all understood it. There was no hard feeling from the team. We continued and we were able to win the league anyway.”
