Viktor Gyokeres issues early demand to Arsenal captain - 'The only thing I need'

New Arsenal signing Viktor Gyokeres wants one thing from captain Martin Odegaard: assists. Gyokeres, 27, finally completed his £63.7million move to the Emirates on Saturday, putting pen to paper on a five-year contract.

The Swede's arrival ends Arsenal's long search for a striker and boss Mikel Arteta hopes that he'll be the missing piece of their jigsaw. Gyokeres scored 97 goals in just 101 games for Sporting Lisbon, making him one of the most prolific marksmen in Europe.

But the former Coventry City talisman will need service and wants Odegaard to provide it. In a video posted on Arsenal's social media channels, Gyokeres can be seen reading out a letter from the Gunners skipper.

"If there's anything you need or any way I can help, just give me a shout," part of Odegaard's message read. "Some assists, please, would be nice," Gyokeres interjected.

The 27-year-old then continued reading, saying: "Looking forward to working together and sharing success in the season ahead. All the best, Martin."

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Gyokeres then said: "Very nice. The only thing I need is some assists."

The Sweden international met Odegaard for the first time on Sunday, as he arrived in Singapore to watch Arsenal beat Newcastle 3-2. Odegaard scored the winning goal, converting an 84th-miniute penalty.

Next up for the Gunners is a clash with bitter north London rivals Tottenham on Thursday in Hong Kong. Gyokeres could make his debut in the 'friendly' but his lack of match fitness may well delay his first outing in an Arsenal shirt.

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Arteta didn't rule out the possibility of Gyokeres featuring, though, saying: "Well I think he hasn't had a single training session with the team since the last game with Sporting when they became champions.

"So we will assess him tomorrow, he's done all the medicals, everything is looking good but to get him up to speed with the right levels of fitness I think is very important. So we're not going to stop him, we want him with us as quick as possible but we'll have to assess and the medical team will do that."

If he does appear, Gyokeres will don the No.14 shirt famously worn by Gunners legend Thierry Henry. His competitive debut is likely to be against Manchester United - who were also interested in signing him - on Sunday, August 16, the opening weekend of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

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