Image source, Getty Images. ByMarcus Alves. BBC Sport. 2 hours ago. 69 Comments. Viktor Gyokeres was on his way to the team bus when he spotted a fan holding a sign asking for a statue to be built for him.. He could not help but smile.. “I love you all,” the Sweden striker said as he left Lisbon town hall after Sporting’s back-to-back Portuguese league title celebrations last May.. Almost a year on, he will be reunited with those same fans on Tuesday as Sporting host Arsenal in the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final.. It is the first time Sporting have reached this stage of the competition in the Champions League era, but that is no accident – the club are enjoying their best spell in modern times, both on and off the pitch.. Over the past five seasons, they have been crowned Portuguese champions three times, have found peace after several years of internal turmoil and reached financial stability.. Sporting have posted a profit in their annual accounts for a fourth consecutive season, making a combined 82.3m euros over that period.. It feels ironic that the player who had the biggest impact throughout that run will now return looking to bring this fairytale to an end.. Is Gyokeres struggling to adapt or being misused?. 2 January. ‘One of the best deals in their history’. Such was Gyokeres’ influence in the green half of Lisbon after joining from Coventry City in 2023 (97 goals in 102 matches) that only three footballers in Portuguese history have a better goals-per-game ratio than him: Fernando Peyroteo (526 goals in 325 matches), Eusebio (475 goals in 452 matches) and Mario Jardel (239 goals in 250 matches).. “He was one of the best, if not the best, deals in their history,” Sporting legend and former Portugal international Ricardo Sa Pinto told BBC Sport.. “First, in footballing terms, without a doubt a top signing – one of the most impressive players Sporting have ever had. Then financially as well.. “At the time, people were a bit apprehensive – paying around 20m euros for a Coventry player, with no real track record or CV. He had talent, everyone could see that, but still.. “So full credit must go to the recruitment department, because they identified a huge opportunity. Of course, we would all have liked him to stay, but at 26 or 27, after two great seasons, it’s natural for a player to want to move to another league, a different level, with different objectives.”. Despite all that, it remains to be seen how Sporting fans will welcome Gyokeres, 27, back following a tumultuous summer involving his Arsenal move.. “It was sad. But there was nothing I could have done differently. It wasn’t something I could control,” the forward has said.. Until the deal was finalised, the Swede failed to report for pre-season, missed several training sessions and refused to return to Lisbon.. “He should still be welcomed with a huge ovation and real gratitude from all of us. Of course, departures are always complicated,” Sa Pinto said.. “There was a
