Viktor Gyokeres may have been overlooked by Chelsea when searching the market for offensive reinforcements, which could have been a huge transfer error.
The Blues lavished money on a plethora of new players over the summer, adding youngster Marc Guiu to their attacking lineup along with Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto, and Joao Felix.
But Chelsea’s primary priority was to sign a world-class No. 9, and the transfer window closed before they could take care of that. Despite their best efforts, the Blues were unable to come to a personal terms agreement with the Nigerian international Victor Osimhen, who was being pursued by Napoli. The negotiations continued into the last hours of the deadline.
Many have questioned why Chelsea did not turn their focus to other options earlier in the transfer window in light of the unsuccessful pursuit, particularly in light of Gyokeres’ early success in the 2024–2025 season.
With 43 goals and 14 assists in 50 games across all competitions, the Sweden international proved to be one of the top strikers in Europe this past season, and the Blues were connected to him during the summer.
After that, the former Coventry City player continued where he left off. If he decides to sign a new contract with Sporting that might remove the exit clause, his £84 million release clause could look like a great deal.
This season, Gyokeres has already assisted five goals and scored eight for both club and country, and there are no signs that he will slow down.
In Sweden’s 3-1 victory against Azerbaijan on Thursday, he notched one goal and provided two assists. On Sunday, when he plays Estonia, he hopes to show off once more what his admirers were missing.
There might not be many players better than Gyokeres available, and many at Stamford Bridge would regret not switching from Osimhen to Gyokeres given that Chelsea was previously looking for a focal point.
It seems unlikely that Chelsea would have a free run at the Swedish striker if he keeps up his current level of play, however, Arsenal was among the teams who previously gave the 26-year-old serious consideration.