There was a time when Viktor Gyokeres could not get a kick for and Hove Albion - now the colossus is being chased by and .

Gyokeres, 26, has established himself as one of the best strikers in football over the last two years. At Brighton and while on loan at , Gyokeres' opportunities were few and far between, particularly when he was at the Amex Stadium.

After finding his goal-scoring range at , Sporting took a chance on the Swede by signing him from the Sky Blues for £20million. Two-years later, he could soon be on his way to Arsenal, as the North Londoners have after tax.

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Now he is in the headlines, several of his former team-mates and opponents spoke to French outlet to offer their thoughts on Gyokeres at the time, as well as what they make of him now. Ex-Huddersfield and Reading defender Naby Sarr, who faced him on multiple occasions, said: "I dealt with two Gyokeres'. The first was already tough and strong, despite a lot of shortcomings.

"It was easy to stop him, his game was very readable. In the end, it was no longer the same story. He became ultra-complete, one of the best players I've faced. Speed, power, efficiency, technical accuracy... he worked on all these aspects."

He added: "What sets him apart from the others is that he's not lazy. His mindset has always been to tell himself that no ball is unplayable. Even if he seems unexploitable and is five meters behind, he'll go for it. He's poison."

Other players who shared a dressing room with the Scandinavian recall a player who was friendly, humble, and hard-working, but often limited by his capabilities. One of those stars was Gaetan Bong, who played alongside Gyokeres at Brighton, when the striker was struggling to find the net.

Bong, who retired in 2022, admitted he has been baffled by Gyokeres' ascent, saying: "I remember seeing this unassuming guy arrive in the dressing room. It was surprising to see him there because Brighton were used to recruiting players in his position who were quick and easy on the ball.

"He already had an imposing physique, but how can I put it... Technically and in his finishing, it was... mediocre. He was far from the level of Glenn Murray, for example, who was our starting No.9.

"That day, we were working on free kicks and I saw the discreet Viktor coming into my zone. I was often given the strongest guys to mark me, so at the time I was calm and I told myself that I was going to try to intimidate him, just to welcome him.

"I grabbed his arm, I tried to move it, and there... wow! I saw that he was resisting. A wall! He had a lot of strength. I said to myself: 'OK, he's going to have to work hard, but at least he has a response, he's not there to be walked all over, and in duels he has what it takes.' It was a first good point."

The same concerns were echoed by former Coventry colleague Maxime Biamou, who pointed out similar flaws in Gyokeres' game. Taking those into account, the Frenchman added: "There was no indication that he was going to explode one day."

Ironically, Gyokeres' biggest weakness in his development years was, in the opinion of ex-Coventry midfielder Wesley Jobello, his shooting and goal-scoring instincts, the very things he is a master off today. Jobello said: "In matches, he had this way of charging head first, without asking any questions.

"He tried a lot and didn't care if he made a mistake. Right foot, left foot, he sent some serious concrete blocks, but it wasn't often on target."

This season alone, Gyokeres has hammered 52 goals and 13 assists in just 50 appearances in all competitions. Arsenal, who are desperate for a striker, have been heavily linked with a move, while a reunion with Ruben Amorim at United has also been mentioned.

What is for certain is that Gyokeres has terrified defences this season and intends on continuing to do so, whatever club he is at.

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