Viktor Gyokeres is in contention to face Tottenham Hotspur in Thursday’s pre-season friendly, after breaking a club record for shirt sales since joining.
It’s fair to say there’s plenty of excitement about Viktor Gyokeres joining Arsenal, with James McNicholas reporting for The Athletic that shirt sales for the new signing have broken the club’s previous record.
Following the club’s offer to print Gyokeres’ name and number for free with a full-price shirt, the shop’s website temporarily crashed under the weight of so many buyers.
The question now is when Arsenal fans will get to see the striker on the pitch, with many hoping Thursday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur will bring his debut.
Mikel Arteta answered questions on the possibility in his press conference on Wednesday, saying:
“[Gyokeres] has only done today’s session and yesterday very little. We are going to assess tonight where he is. If the medical staff are pleased with his condition, it is possible (he’ll play against Spurs).”
As mentioned, Gyokeres was involved in Arsenal’s open training session in Hong Kong on Wednesday, and he entertained the crowd with some excellent finishes.
Fellow summer signing Cristhian Mosquera was also involved in the session, as was Jurrien Timber after his recent spell out injured. But both Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori weren’t involved in the session, and Arteta confirmed both will miss the Spurs friendly.
“Big Gabi is out,” Arteta said. “Riccy [Calafiori] it will come too early for him.”
But fans could be in for a look at two of their club’s new signings before the return to England later this week.
Arsenal pre-season schedule
- Saturday, July 19th – Arsenal 2-0 Watford
- Wednesday, July 23rd – Arsenal 1-0 AC Milan
- Sunday, July 27th – Arsenal 3-2 Newcastle United
- Thursday, July 31st, 12:30 – Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
- Wednesday, August 6th, 18:00 – Arsenal vs Villarreal CF
- Saturday, August 9th, 17:00 – Arsenal vs Athletic Club
Times in BST