The Portuguese press are reporting that the impending departure of Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim puts the future of his star player Viktor Gyokeres majorly in question.
They quote his agent, who didn’t hold back in making his client’s intentions clear in quotes picked up by A Bola:
“Yes, it will be more difficult for Viktor to stay if Ruben Amorim leaves Sporting because Viktor came precisely because of Ruben. The day we met, I said to Ruben: ‘Here’s my boy, he came to Sporting because of you’,” Hasan Cetinkaya said.
“There were eight clubs very interested in Viktor last summer,” the agent continued, really flexing his muscles now.
“They all paid Coventry more than Sporting, they all paid Viktor more, they all paid a higher commission to the agent. And I brought him to Sporting because of Ruben Amorim, because I know his work and his work with the players. I chose Ruben because he is a coach at another level.”
This is hardly surprising. Just like Amorim, who must feel like he’s ready for a step up after winning the Portuguese league twice, Gyokeres will want to ride the wave of hype while he’s in the hottest form of his career. This is likely as good as things get for Sporting, and Gyokeres can leave as a one season wonder and step up a level.
Where Gyokeres stands in the order
So far, it smells to us like Gyokeres isn’t rated as a top priority by Chelsea right now.
They are hoping that Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku can get the job done, and while another striker will certainly be on their list of needs, until they sell some players they can’t do much other than be reactive.
If it becomes clear that Gyokeres is available and affordable, it could work perfectly. But surely a Champions League team somewhere is going to make him a major offer this summer? If there were 8 teams ready to buy him last summer, imagine what it would be now, after a red hot season for Sporting.
Is better than Nicolas Jackson
Is better than Nicolas Jackson