Brighton don’t normally get it wrong with young players. After all, the quintet of Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro, Ben White and Alexis Mac Allister have brought in £300m in transfer fees in the last four years.
But the Seagulls had Viktor Gyokeres on their books and sold him for just £1m to Coventry in 2021. He has since become a £20m player at Sporting CP – then a £63.5m marquee signing for Arsenal. And now he’s the Gerd Muller Trophy holder after scoring more goals than any player in 2025.
“We knew there was a top talent there – as that has subsequently been proved,” Brighton chief executive Paul Barber tells Sky Sports about the forward. So why is Gyokeres not among a long list of Seagull success stories?
The Sweden forward seems like a classic Brighton signing – plucked from obscurity and with huge potential. But he left them with a mere eight first-team appearances to his name, none of them in the Premier League, and just one goal.
Gyokeres was on Brighton’s books and featured eight times for their first-team
He was also part of a successful Brighton U23 side that got promoted to the top division of the Premier League 2 in 2018. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was part of that team, while his now-Arsenal team-mate White shared Brighton youth responsibilities alongside Gyokeres.
The first thing to note about Gyokeres’ time at Brighton is he wasn’t a striker. He was a winger. “He could play through the middle but he kind of played off the left,” says Josh Kerr to Sky Sports, who played with the forward in Brighton’s youth set-up.
“He would play as a striker now and again, but we had Aaron Connolly who was really good. If we had the two of them – and we always played 4-3-3 – we knew that Viktor could handle playing left wing and could cut in.”
Gyokeres most played as a winger for Brighton’s youth and first-team
It meant that Gyokeres’ first four senior appearances for Brighton came in that left wing position. But just because it now looks like the Swede was playing out of position, doesn’t mean he couldn’t show his quality.
“We obviously rated him highly then but we didn’t think he would kick on as much as he has, which has been quite incredible,” says Kerr.
“He was adjusting to life in England. But we could see month-by-month a difference in him each time.
“You could see the traits of what you’re seeing now. He would always drift in, constantly wanting to get to the goal.”
That position has influenced Gyokeres’ career to date. A lot of his goals come via runs from the left channel. It became a staple during his time at Sporting – and even his first goal for Arsenal against Leeds came from a channel run down that flank.
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Gyokeres’ first Arsenal goal came via a left wing run
“He’s probably one of the most ruthless players that I’ve seen when he’s on the halfway line and he’s going to goal from the left,” says Kerr.
“It was just the pace and power, sometimes teams couldn’t cope with that.”
That left wing position also helped Gyokeres’ all-round game. “You want your wingers to work back and help your full-backs out – doing the thankless task of doubling up when you go to some of those tough away grounds,” remembers Kerr.
“He would do it without you having to ask him – which is massive for certain teams or managers.
“He was just a good guy and that’s what you get from him. Works hard, does his job for the team.”
That is pertinent today amid his role at Arsenal. During a seven-game goal drought, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and the striker’s team-mates in north London stressed the selfless work Gyokeres brought to the team.
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was full of praise for Viktor Gyokeres after the striker scored a brace to help the Gunners beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League
At Brighton, he eventually ended up in the centre forward role for the first-team, making three starts in the Carabao Cup in the 2020-21 season under Graham Potter, who is now his national team boss with Sweden.
He got a goal and an assist in the second-round win over Portsmouth, and even started the fourth-round loss to Manchester United, with his future Arsenal team-mates White and Leandro Trossard also involved.
But that would be his final game for Brighton. The first-team outings dried up for the forward. It didn’t just fail to work out for Gyokeres, but also Kerr – who is the same age as the Swede and now works as an agent for CAA Base, having retired early due to injury.
“They were not playing expansive football at that point,” says Kerr. “It was more about survival so we’d never really see as many boys come through to the first team in those seasons.
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Viktor Gyokeres’ former managers Chris Hughton and Mark Robins provide insight into the striker’s early years in England…
“They just weren’t going to play with the younger boys when they were trying to survive. Once they became an established Premier League club, they could then start to drip-feed boys in.
“So I think it was a timing thing. If we had a few more years at Brighton, we would have had a bit more of a chance.”
Loans to Swansea and Coventry gave Gyokeres more senior football. His time in Wales saw more game time as a left winger, and when both moves failed to set the world alight, both Gyokeres and Brighton decided to part ways.
“Viktor progressed exceptionally well – but he wanted to progress even further faster,” recalls Brighton CEO Barber.
“At that time we couldn’t guarantee him first-team football here. We were very happy to continue to loan Viktor so he could continue to progress.
“But I think it says a lot about Viktor himself that he wanted a more permanent base sooner. He eventually got that and the rest is history.”
The £1m fee Coventry paid for Brighton ended up being a turning point for the player. The confidence he got from being the Sky Blues’ centre forward in the Championship caused a major shift.
His physicality went up in the summer he made his permanent move. “He definitely put the effort it,” says Kerr. “He’s an absolute machine. He’s shredded!”
The goals went flying in too. His famous celebration was born in Coventry, with the striker himself admitting this season that creating the ‘mask’ coincided with his goal record improving.
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Viktor Gyokeres gave an honest assessment of how he’s finding life at Arsenal so far and also opened up on his previous spells in England
Gyokeres still has fond memories of Brighton. That proved to be the case when Kerr was out doing agent work in Slovenia last September and saw Sweden were playing a World Cup qualifier while he was there.
He messaged Gyokeres – with whom he had shared a room with at a Hong Kong youth tournament – for a ticket and the striker delivered straight away.
“Some people would go the other way and say: ‘I’m too good for that now’,” says Kerr. “But it shows he’s got a level head on him and he can look after people he knows.”
But do Brighton have any regrets about letting Gyokeres slip off their books?
“It depends on whether you say slipped through or progressed through,” says Barber. “I would prefer to say progressed through.
“It’s always good when you spot a young talent, nurture them and you see them go on to even better things.
“We wish him well – apart from a few games this season!”
Watch Arsenal vs Brighton in the Carabao Cup fourth round live on Sky Sports+ this Wednesday from 7.30pm; kick-off 7.45pm.