West Ham chief David Sullivan may need to be sitting down when he reads what’s just been said about striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing in football.
But it seems West Ham had plenty of foresight when they extensively scouted striker Viktor Gyokeres ahead of an expected bid.
With Gianluca Scamacca sold after one season and ageing Michail Antonio entering his West Ham swansong, there was no doubt the Hammers needed to sign a striker last summer.
Sweden striker Gyokeres had been widely expected to join West Ham as the perfect heir to Antonio.
Especially after Coventry failed to get promoted in the play-off final.
Gyokeres even sent a come and get me plea amid very real interest from West Ham.
Hammers had Gyokeres on a silver platter
David Moyes reportedly spent a lot of time doing his homework on the all-action forward. Indeed The Sun claimed the Scot had personally attended several Coventry games last season to run the rule over Gyokeres ahead of a summer move.
And it was claimed by various journalists quoting people inside the club that Gyokeres was one of West Ham’s top targets.
As West Ham dithered Sporting swooped, signing him for just £17m. That’s £500k less than West Ham paid for Maxwel Cornet the summer before.
To say Gyokeres has been an absolute steal and revelation is an understatement.
He has a staggering 37 goals and 13 assists in 50 games for Sporting and Sweden this season.
That includes a hat-trick in a 6-1 Sporting win at the weekend.
‘Phenomenon Gyokeres up there with Mbappe and Haaland’
His 33 goals and 12 assists for in 36 starts for Sporting have put the club on course for the Portuguese title.
So what ex Sporting president has said about Gyokeres will sicken West Ham chief David Sullivan.
Because Pedro Santana Lopes, the former president of Sporting, says ‘phenomenon’ Gyokeres is in the same bracket as superstars Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
“You can say whatever you want… Gyokeres is not inferior to Mbappe – they both play, a lot, at speed, on the wings – nor Haaland, who has other characteristics,” the ex Sporting chief told A Bola.
“He is a true phenomenon.”
West Ham’s owners won’t be the only one feeling sick.
Many West Ham fans were desperate to see the club sign Gyokeres.
Striker could’ve made Hammers Champions League contenders
And even more infuriating is the fact he has all the attributes the manager looks for in a forward.
The Scot said he felt he didn’t need to sign a striker as he moved Jarrod Bowen up top.
But that has had mixed results and Bowen has proved he offers more on the right.
Who knows what West Ham might have achieved had they signed the Swede?
Given the wide open nature of the Premier League this season he may have made the Hammers genuine Champions League contenders like Aston Villa and Spurs.
Especially we’re not a million miles away as it is.
West Ham have drawn eight games this season – the joint second highest in the top flight.
And Gyokeres may well have been the difference in many of those.