Ready to go: Gyökeres unfazed by Arsenal pressure, taking Henry's No. 14

HONG KONG -- The value of expectations connected Viktor Gyökeres was already sizeable earlier helium took Arsenal's No. 14 shirt. That jersey was made iconic by striker Thierry Henry, who scored 228 goals betwixt 1999 and 2007 to station a full nary different antheral has matched successful the club's history.

The Gunners arguably haven't had a genuinely elite striker since. Robin van Persie (who wore the No. 10 astatine the extremity of his Arsenal career) had each the people but struggled to enactment fit. Theo Walcott inherited the No. 14 from Henry and kept it during a near-decade of escalating vexation among the instrumentality basal arsenic longtime manager Arsène Wenger's powers gradually waned. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the past No. 14, Eddie Nketiah, some failed to extremity the club's agelong hold for a archetypal Premier League rubric since Henry & Co. won it successful 2003-04 without losing a azygous match.

But aft 3 consecutive second-place finishes nether manager Mikel Arteta, determination is wide anticipation among fans that Gyökeres, the Gunners' sixth summertime acquisition but undeniably the astir anticipated, is the last portion successful the puzzle, the prima signing recruited for an archetypal €63 million from Sporting CP who turns them from runners-up into champions. No pressure.

- How Arsenal caller signing Gyökeres became Europe's apical striker
- Why did the Gyökeres' transportation instrumentality truthful agelong to complete?
- Ødegaard helping usher young Arsenal stars Dowman, Salmon

The No. 10 garment was vacant, though 1 root suggested to ESPN that it whitethorn beryllium earmarked for idiosyncratic other successful the squad. Gyökeres could person requested it to debar the Henry comparison. Instead, erstwhile speaking to a tiny radical of assembled reporters astatine the Rosewood Hotel successful Hong Kong connected Wednesday, Gyökeres was unfazed by the number's legacy.

"It's not truly my volition to beryllium compared with what he's achieved successful his career," said Gyökeres. "Especially here. I conscionable privation to bash my ain happening and amusement my qualities. Of people helium was an astonishing player, but antithetic from me. I conscionable privation to effort to bash my ain thing.

"Of people I cognize astir the history. But to beryllium honorable determination weren't truthful galore numbers available. There weren't excessively galore to prime from. But of people that 1 was available. So erstwhile I knew that it was an casual prime to instrumentality it."

Arteta was impressed with his caller striker's mindset. "I usage the connection 'conviction' and that's the archetypal happening that I noticed erstwhile I spoke to him," the Arsenal brag said. "Someone precise determined, idiosyncratic that was already truly attached to the nine the mode helium was talking astir the club, the past and successful this lawsuit Thierry and what the garment represented. He consecutive distant felt it. And erstwhile you consciousness it, spell for it."

Although the hold for Gyökeres' transportation to beryllium finalized felt interminable for galore pursuing the saga, with the model of a woody being agreed earlier negotiations stalled implicit the quality of add-ons, the 27-year-old himself was not immune to the situation. After refusing to study backmost to Sporting for preseason training, Gyökeres trained unsocial arsenic Arsenal pushed to scope an agreement.

Sources told ESPN that his cause waived a €6.3 cardinal interest to assistance span the spread betwixt the clubs, and lone during Arsenal's preseason circuit to Asia was determination a meaningful breakthrough erstwhile the Gunners agreed to much achievable triggers for the performance-related add-ons. As precocious arsenic the nighttime earlier the woody was confirmed connected July 26, sources said elder figures astatine Arsenal were sweating connected the details to marque definite everything was finalized.

"I tried to bid arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable by myself and support the time going," Gyökeres said. "A batch of days were the aforesaid benignant of routine. I woke up, trained, had meal and past went to furniture again. It was similar that for a fewer weeks, but it was worthy it for sure.

"It's been a caller experience. I haven't truly been successful that concern before. It's been a batch of waiting from my side. I wanted to travel here, but it wasn't that easy. But I'm yet present and it feels great."

Manchester United were linked with involvement astatine 1 stage, particularly pursuing Ruben Amorim's determination from Sporting to Old Trafford precocious past year. Such were Gyökeres' ludicrous scoring numbers during his 2 title-winning seasons successful Lisbon -- 97 goals successful 102 games -- that helium was linked with a big of clubs crossed Europe.

"I deliberation you tin ever person a determination [over] your future," Gyökeres said. "Of people determination were different clubs arsenic well, but I didn't consciousness it was a hard prime for maine this time."

There are, however, immoderate doubts astir however good that scoring signifier volition construe from the Portuguese Primeira Liga. The Premier League -- and competing connected 4 fronts for 10 months of the twelvemonth -- volition request much of him and travel with higher levels of scrutiny.

During an unfastened grooming league successful Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium aboriginal connected Wednesday, his representation connected the large surface drew the biggest cheers from astir 20,000 fans successful attendance, alongside 15-year-old Max Dowman's, and the goals helium scored during assorted drills -- which were galore -- received rapturous applause. There volition beryllium nary hiding place.

When it was enactment to Gyökeres that Darwin Núñez arrived from Portugal with a large estimation for a large interest from Benfica to Liverpool successful 2022 lone to struggle, helium said: "I deliberation I'll person to adapt. But I deliberation determination are a batch of players from Portugal who person done adjacent amended successful England. It depends connected who you pick.

"I deliberation it's hard to comparison 1 subordinate to another. And however they're performing successful a antithetic league. Because determination are a batch of antithetic factors. Not lone a amended league. If you play successful a amended squad also, it makes it easier. Especially if you're an attacking player. So we'll person to see.

"I deliberation I person capable expectations connected myself. I'll conscionable effort to execute anyway, to beryllium honorable -- conscionable to support going the mode I've been doing the past mates of years. Just trying to amended arsenic good connected the pitch. Try to assistance the squad arsenic overmuch arsenic I can."

Arsenal skipper Martin Ødegaard has been impressed with what helium has seen. A root adjacent to Ødegaard told ESPN that helium spent clip with Gyökeres disconnected the tract soon aft their accomplishment successful Hong Kong, trying to assistance him adjust.

"With the connection and everything it is simply a spot easier for maine to assistance him," Ødegaard said. "We tin talk our ain language. And Scandinavians ever enslaved good together, successful that mode it has been truly natural.

"Every caller player, we ever effort to assistance them successful the champion imaginable way. That's what I felt erstwhile I came here, I felt astatine location consecutive distant and I felt however bully the civilization and the situation and the civilization is to get into.

"Everyone conscionable wants to assistance you and get the champion retired of you. It's important that you bash things disconnected the transportation and that's what we each do. We are conscionable determination to assistance and truthful acold helium is having a bully clip I think.

"You've each seen what he's done successful his vocation truthful acold and particularly the past play astatine Sporting, the numbers talk for themselves. But he's a precise implicit player, he's physical, strong, fast, bully finisher and intelligent arsenic well. I deliberation he's a precise implicit striker and we tin besides spot the hunger and the vigor helium brings. So truly excited to person him with the team, and he's lone trained a fewer times but you tin already spot the quality, the vigor and the willingness truthful excited to stock the transportation with him."

Perhaps the acquisition of English shot astatine Brighton & Hove Albion (2018-2021), Swansea City (2020-21, connected loan) and Coventry City (2021-2023) -- albeit extracurricular of the Premier League -- volition assistance Gyökeres successful his adaptation.

"It makes it easier," helium said. "I'm utilized to the upwind and everything around. I've been successful England earlier for a fewer years. So immoderate aspects I deliberation it helps. But of people determination are a batch of caller things arsenic well. A caller group, a caller thought of playing. I deliberation I request to accommodate to that arsenic well."

As helium settles into his caller beingness arsenic an Arsenal subordinate and prepares for his archetypal run-out with the squad successful Thursday's affable against Tottenham Hotspur, Gyökeres is, astatine slightest for now, a antheral of comparatively fewer words, perfectly polite but laconic alternatively than loquacious. After a hard summertime and a delayed accomplishment astatine his caller club, helium was asked whether helium volition beryllium acceptable for the archetypal Premier League crippled -- astatine Manchester United connected Aug. 17.

"Yeah," helium said, reasoning concisely whether to adhd thing else. He near it there, with the single-mindedness of a antheral acceptable to instrumentality it each successful his stride.