Serial scorer for Sporting Portugal (97 goals, 28 assists in 102 matches, all competitions), Viktor Gyökeres left Portugal to sign for Arsenal in exchange for a check for around €70 million. With the Gunners, the Swede has not yet shown an XXL performance (3 goals in 10 matches), but his representatives do not regret that their protégé has signed with the London club. In the podcast Studio AllsvenskanJonathan Chalkias, assistant to Gyökeres' agent Hasan Cetinkaya, revealed that the striker could have signed for Manchester United. The Reds Devils offered more money, but they tried to close the deal behind the backs of the player's agents.
“Saudi Arabia offered crazy amounts of money, we are supposed to act in our best interest. Are we also entitled to a percentage (of the fees)? Of course. That's a lot of money. Maybe Viktor should answer that question someday. I don't think we put any pressure on him to accept (Arsenal's) offer. At the end of the day, money comes and goes, and this move to Arsenal gives us a lot in terms of marketing. They (Sporting) had reached an agreement with Manchester United behind our backs, which was a problem. Manchester United offered a higher transfer. If Viana was still at Sporting, the deal would have been completed in less than an hour. Everything was ready, but we didn't have time to start a legal battle. I don't understand how a player who scored so many goals and won three trophies didn't deserve more respect. In this environment, you have to trust people. The sacrifices we made were probably instrumental in getting the deal done. They offered him to Real Madrid, made headlines with Madrid and even Manchester United, but from day one the commitment was made to Arsenal. »
