Viktor Gyokeres could make his Arsenal debut in the cauldron of a north London derby this week in front of 50,000 Hong Kong fans, manager Mikel Arteta said on Wednesday.
The $67 million Swedish striker came through an open training session at Kai Tak stadium, where Arsenal will take on Tottenham on Thursday in the bitter rivals’ first clash outside of the UK.
Gyokeres joined up with Arsenal on their Asia tour only three days ago, after signing from Sporting Lisbon, but will get some time on the pitch if the club medical team think he is ready, said Arteta.
He is playing fitness catch-up with his new teammates, though, who came through pre-season friendlies in Singapore last week against AC Milan and Newcastle.
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“Yes, I understand he’s only done today’s session and yesterday, very little,” Arteta told reporters.
“We’re going to assess tonight how he is, if the medical staff are happy as well with his condition to participate tomorrow night, it’s a possibility.
“With the rest of the squad, everybody is OK.”
The 27-year-old Gyokeres fired Sporting to the Portuguese championship last season with 39 goals and made global headlines when he netted a Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City.
The striker, who has chosen to wear the number 14 shirt made famous by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, scored a remarkable 97 goals in 102 matches for the Portuguese side.
He has joined Arsenal on a five-year deal which could cost the north London club up to $89 million with performance-related add-ons.
His arrival took Arsenal’s close-season spending to around $267 million.
They have also signed defender Cristhian Mosquera, midfielder Martin Zubimendi, goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, midfielder Christian Norgaard and forward Noni Madueke.
Arteta was clearly pleased at the business the club has carried out in the transfer window so far, as he seeks to be the first Arsenal manager to win the Premier League since Arsene Wenger in the 2003/04 season.
“I am extremely happy with the way that we have approached the window and how aggressive we’ve been,” said Arteta, who has finished runner-up in the Premier League for the past three seasons.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard said he was excited to play with his fellow Scandinavian, Gyokeres, calling him “a very complete” player.
“I think you’ve all seen what he’s done in his career so far, especially the last season at Sporting, and the numbers speak for themselves,” Norwegian international Odegaard said.
“You know, he’s physical, strong, fast, good finisher and intelligent as well.
“So I think he’s a very complete striker,” said Odegaard.
“Really excited to have him with the team. And he’s only trained a few times, but you can already see the quality and the energy and the willingness.”