Michael Owen claims Viktor Gyokeres has already made major mistake at Arsenal before even making his debut

 

The Ballon d’Or winner was critical of one decision from Viktor Gyokeres following confirmation of his move to Arsenal.

 

Michael Owen claims Viktor Gyokeres has already made a major mistake at his new club Arsenal before he’s even made his debut.

 

The Swedish striker completed a move from Sporting CP earlier this week for an initial fee of £55.1 million, with around £8.7 million in potential add-ons.

 

The deal followed a long-running transfer saga, which saw Gyokeres clash with Sporting’s president and go on strike to force his move to North London.

 

Mikel Arteta had hoped to have Gyokeres available for the start of pre-season in Hong Kong and Singapore but he missed the opening two games of the tour

 

Instead, the 27-year-old was introduced to the crowd in Singapore ahead of their clash against Newcastle, waving to fans before kick-off.

 

He ends Arsenal’s long-standing pursuit for a recognised centre forward and arrives with big expectations following a successful spell at Sporting CP.

 

Viktor Gyokeres is being tipped for big things at Arsenal. (Image: Stuart MacFarlane / Contributor via Getty)

 

Former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker Owen has now shared his thoughts on the transfer with talkSPORT.

 

Owen said: “The pressure on him is incredible because Arsenal have been needing a centre-forward for a long time now and all of sudden they’ve got one.

 

“Everybody thinks that’s the missing piece of the jigsaw.

 

“He’s then gone and taken number 14, which just adds another load of pressure on, with Thierry Henry in his shadow in many ways.

 

“If he strikes and he’s good, then Arsenal are serious challengers again but if not, then I cannot see anything but Liverpool.”

 

Arsenal’s new number 14 has already smashed club records with shirt sales.

 

After his’ arrival was confirmed on Monday, Arsenal offered to print Gyokeres’ name for free on next season’s Arsenal shirts, which is a service that normally costs £16.

 

The demand was so high that the club website briefly crashed.

 

Arsenal fans are thrilled with the capture of Viktor Gyokeres. (Image: Yong Teck Lim / Staff via

 

Supporters will now hope that it will be on the pitch where he starts to break records.

 

Gyokeres scored 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting CP across two seasons.

 

He is a great athlete, blending pace and power to bully defenders, and has shown a ruthlessness in front of goal.

 

He arrives on the back of five seasons without a major trophy for Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.

 

 

They have finished second in the Premier League for the last three years and demolished Real Madrid in the Champions League but have consistently fallen short in the biggest games.

 

After another big outlay in the window, Arteta and Gyokeres will be expected to win silverware for the Gunners

 

Viktor Gyokeres has already broken Arsenal record Thierry Henry never managed without kicking a ball

 

The new Gunners striker has made a flying start in London before he’s even made his debut

 

Viktor Gyokeres will soon realise his dream of playing in the Premier League and the former Sporting CP and Coventry City striker has already achieved a little piece of history at his new club.

 

Arsenal finally got their man last week when they agreed a big money deal with the Portuguese champions, for whom Gyokeres scored 97 goals in 102 matches in all competitions.

 

The 27-year-old came close to Premier League promotion with Coventry two years ago and was linked with Manchester United and the Gunners before the North London club saw off their competition this summer.

 

Gyokeres demonstrated his confidence in his ability to translate prolific scoring in Portugal into the necessary return back in England, taking over Arsenal’s number 14 shirt nearly two decades after it was left behind by one of the Premier League’s greatest ever players.

 

Thierry Henry ended his first legendary stint at Arsenal with 174 Premier League goals and five major trophies to his name, so inheriting his shirt number – though purely symbolic – is not for the faint of heart.

 

Gyokeres has overcome the first hurdle, perhaps surprisingly, by breaking Arsenal’s record shirt sales.

 

“While data from various outlets and retailers is still being analysed, it is already clear that demand for Gyokeres’ No 14 shirt exceeds that of any signing in recent history,” reports The Athletic.

 

“To mark Gyokeres’ arrival, Arsenal offered to print his name on any of next season’s Arsenal shirts for free – a service which would normally cost £16.

 

“The offer was valid either in person at one of the club stores, or via the official online shop. Demand was so high that the shop’s website temporarily crashed.”

 

Thierry Henry celebrates scoring a goal for Arsenal

 

The Athletic reports that Gyokeres sought out the number 14 because Gabriel Jesus is Arsenal’s number 9 and Henry’s number signifies the club’s record goalscorer.

 

Henry, who was part of the Gunners’ famous invincible season, surpassed Ian Wright as their record scorer in October 2005.

 

Gyokeres has a long way to go to match Henry’s contribution but the excitement around his signing is significant.

 

Arsenal’s struggles without a fit and reliable centre-forward have been unavoidable in the last few seasons and injury problems in 2024-25 forced manager Mikel Arteta to deploy Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino in the position as Arsenal’s title hopes faded.

 

Featured Image Credit: Getty

 

Topics: Thierry Henry, Viktor Gyokeres, Premier League, Arsenal

 



 

Chris Nee

 



 

Home> Football> Football News> Arsenal

 

Published 13:28 25 Jul 2025 GMT+1

 

Thierry Henry has already made his feelings clear on Arsenal 14 shirt as Viktor Gyokeres takes iconic squad number

 

Viktor Gyokeres has reportedly chosen an iconic Arsenal shirt number.

 



 

Joe Bray

 

Viktor Gyokeres could follow an Arsenal legend when he completes his much-anticipated move to the Gunners in the coming days.

 

A breakthrough has been reached for the Swedish striker after prolonged negotiations with Sporting, with Arsenal reported to be paying around £63 million including add-ons for Gyokeres. However, another report has claimed the total fee may be closer to £57 million, saving Arsenal some money and justifying their drawn-out talks with Sporting.

 

If all goes to plan, Gyokeres could be an Arsenal player by next week, where he would then fly out to Asia to join his new teammates for their final friendly against rivals Tottenham next week. Gunners fans will be keen to see how he slots in, and also what shirt number their new man will be wearing.

 

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Gyokeres has worn number nine at Sporting. (Image: Getty)

 

Some clubs have issued temporary shirt numbers to new signings this summer, with Manchester City making clear that the numbers worn by Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders at the Club World Cup may not be their official squad numbers going forwards. Liverpool have also issued numbers in the fifties to their new signings ahead of the official numbers being confirmed before the start of the new season.

 

According to The Athletic, Gyokeres will have his Arsenal medical on Saturday and has chosen the iconic number 14 at the Emirates Stadium. That will see him follow in the footsteps of legend Thierry Henry, while Marcus Rashford has also taken Henry’s number 14 at Barcelona.

 



 

Gyokeres could be an Arsenal player this weekend. (Image: Getty)

 

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Henry has made it clear why he picked the number that has now become wedded to him thanks to his glorious spell at Highbury, however he admitted he would have preferred a different number when he signed in 1999.

 

Speaking to Cesc Fabregas in an Instagram Live back in 2020, Henry admitted that he would have preferred to wear number 12 after his idol Marco van Basten but it was already taken so he had to opt for a different number.

 

“I came back with number 12 [for his second spell in 2012], that’s my number actually. Fourteen is not my number,” he admitted to the Spaniard. “I took the number 14 at Arsenal because Christopher Wreh had number 12, so I didn’t want to take it off him. That’s the reason, I didn’t want to take it off him. That’s why when I came back, number 12 because of Marco van Basten at Euro 88.”

 



 

Thierry Henry wore 14 in his first Arsenal spell and 12 in his second. (Image: Getty)

 

Gyokeres to follow some Arsenal greats

 

If Gyokeres is confirmed as the number 14, he will follow some memorable Arsenal players in donning that shirt number.

 

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The Swede wore the number previously during his brief stint at Swansea City in 2020/21 but has since worn 17 at Coventry and the No.9 shirt at Sporting over the last three years.

 

Before Henry, the shirt belonged to the likes of Kevin Campbell, Perry Groves and Martin Keown before Henry’s long iconic stint from 1999 to 2007. Theo Walcott took the number for 10 years between 2008 and the 2017/18 campaign.

 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was next to wear 14 from that season through to 2021/22, before academy graduate Eddie Nketiah inherited it until he left permanently last summer. It has been vacant since.

 

Nketiah spoke about the weight of the number back in 2022 when he became the third player since Henry to wear it.

 

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“The history he set, I wanted to take that number on,” he said. “Thierry was a great player but I’m just trying to create my own memories in that shirt, and have some things to look back on when my career is finished. I have immense pride in the shirt and I know what it means to the fans.

 

“I did have a couple of conversations with him as he’s at the stadium a lot, and he was delighted for me. He wishes me all the best and is always supporting me which is really nice to hear.

 

“[Being coached by Thierry] was my favourite year in the academy, definitely! It was so fun scoring goals and picking his brain day in, day out. Working with somebody of that standard, you can see the mentality that he has – when he joined in with training, he hates losing so much and that rubs off on you.

 

“Off the pitch, he’s such a cool guy. Sometimes I’d be talking to him and then go home and tell my friends that I’d just been chilling with Thierry and they thought I was lying! He’s a wonderful guy and I learnt so much working with him.”