While half the football world debates whether Arsenal should swap him for Julian Alvarez, Viktor Gyokeres is doing what he does best. Training. Shooting. Preparing. The Swedish striker was spotted at the Jose Martins Vieira Municipal stadium in Portugal, firing curling strikes into the net during his post-World Cup break. And the footage, shared by Apex Football Performance on social media, tells you everything about where his head’s at.
Gyokeres isn’t hiding. He’s not sulking over transfer gossip. He’s getting ready.
From World Cup Heartbreak to the Training Pitch
Sweden’s World Cup run ended on June 30 when France swept them aside 3-0 in the round of 32 at the New York New Jersey Stadium. Kylian Mbappe scored twice, and Graham Potter’s side simply couldn’t cope.
For Gyokeres, who’d scored against Tunisia and assisted against Japan during the group stage, it was a painful exit. Sweden had scraped through as one of the best third-placed teams, and there was hope they could cause an upset. It wasn’t to be.
Most players would’ve headed straight to a beach. Gyokeres headed to a training pitch.
Apex Football Performance, the same company that works with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes, captured the Arsenal man drilling shots from distance. The message couldn’t be louder — he’s coming back sharp for pre-season.
The Alvarez Swap That Won’t Go Away
Here’s where things get complicated. Reports from The Times and Spanish outlet Cope suggest Arsenal are willing to include Gyokeres in a player-plus-cash deal for Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez. The proposed structure? Gyokeres plus a fee reportedly north of £50 million heading to Spain.
On paper, it sounds like a major upgrade. Alvarez is a World Cup winner and former Manchester City star with 66 goal contributions in 106 matches for Atletico. He’s versatile, technically brilliant, and already knows the Premier League.
But there are massive obstacles:
- Alvarez prefers a move to Barcelona, not Arsenal
- Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin publicly stated they rejected a €100 million bid and won’t accept €150m or €200m either
- Swap deals are notoriously difficult to pull off, requiring agreement from all parties
Even Thierry Henry has weighed in. Arsenal’s all-time top scorer warned the club to think carefully before letting Gyokeres go.
“Gyokeres gives Arsenal something different — power, presence, aggression and goals,” Henry said. “He’s the type of striker defenders hate facing.”
Henry’s preference? Keep both. “The dream scenario would be finding a way to have players of that level in the same squad. That’s how title-winning teams become dynasty teams.”
Why Gyokeres Deserves More Credit
It’s easy to forget that Gyokeres helped Arsenal win their first Premier League title in 22 years last season. Sure, his 14 league goals didn’t set the world on fire. Critics pointed to a slow start — he went five games without scoring early on. Michael Owen publicly questioned whether he’d adapted.
But the numbers shifted dramatically in 2026. Eight goal involvements in his last eight games. More goals than any other Premier League player across all competitions in the calendar year. And crucial strikes against Chelsea, Inter Milan, Leeds, and Sunderland when Arsenal needed them most.
Mikel Arteta didn’t mince words when praising his striker’s mentality earlier in the season.
“He doesn’t seem too affected by the real highs or the lows,” Arteta told Sky Sports. “He’s very demanding of himself. I love his character.”
That character is exactly what those Portugal training videos showed. A 27-year-old Premier League champion, fresh off a World Cup campaign, choosing to work rather than rest. Choosing to sharpen his finishing rather than scroll through the transfer rumours.
Will Arsenal ultimately cash in on Gyokeres to fund a move for Alvarez? It’s possible. Football’s a business, after all. But if that training footage proves anything, it’s that the Swede isn’t going to make it easy for anyone to push him out the door. He’s fighting for his spot. And that’s exactly the kind of mentality Arteta values most.
