Sporting Lisbon Complete Signing Of Viktor Gyokeres

Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon, have completed the signing of Coventry City striker, Viktor Gyokeres, for a transfer fee reportedly worth £18.5 million.

The transfer fee is said to be the highest amount ever paid to Coventry City for any of their players in the history of the club.

Before Viktor Gyokeres completed his move to Sporting Lisbon, the 25-year-old Swedish striker had just a season left on his contract with Coventry.

Ahead of the completion of the deal, Coventry recruited Ellis Simms from Premier League side Everton as Gyokeres’ replacement.

Since his initial signing by Brighton in December 2017 from Swedish team IF Brommapojkarna, Gyokeres has played six seasons of football in the United Kingdom.

Before he moved on loan to German second-division club St Pauli in the Covid-interrupted 2019–20 season, he played five cup games for Brighton in the 2018–19 season, scoring seven goals in 26 appearances.

Gyokeres subsequently played two more games before being loaned out to Swansea, scoring his only goal for Brighton in an EFL Cup victory over Portsmouth behind closed doors at the start of the 2020–21 season.

Before being recalled by Brighton in the middle of the season and loaned out to Coventry, he made 11 league games for the Swans without recording a goal, largely as a substitute.

Coventry chose to make the lone deal permanent in July 2021 for an unknown sum even though he only managed three goals. In response, Gyokeres scored 40 goals in 97 league and cup games.

His 21 goals and 12 assists made him one of the most in-demand players in the Championship last season, and he nearly led Coventry City back to the top division for the first time in 22 years.

Gyokeres rejected offers from prospective suitors in January because he wanted to play in a top club that competes in UEFA competitions.

As the season came to an end, his scoring output decreased, and Coventry’s loss in the Championship Playoffs shootout effectively sealed his exit from the club.