Arsenal should have signed £46m star instead of Viktor Gyokeres - this is why

Arsenal have been told they missed an opportunity by signing Viktor Gyokeres when a more cost-effective alternative was readily available.

The Gunners won the race for the Swedish forward's services at the end of last month after striking a deal worth approximately £63.7million with Sporting Lisbon. His arrival marked an end to Mikel Arteta's prolonged search for a new striker.

Gyokeres scored 97 times and registered 28 assists for Sporting in 102 appearances and it's hoped the 27-year-old will address Arsenal's poor form in front of goal. The Gunners finished second in the Premier League to Liverpool last term despite boasting a superior defensive record to their rivals.

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That was largely thanks to the Merseysiders surpassing Arsenal's tally of 69 goals by 17. However, while many view Gyokeres as the missing piece of the puzzle, former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker Dean Saunders believes they should have pursued Darwin Nunez instead.

The Uruguayan is nearing the Anfield exit door with a medical booked ahead of a move to Al Hilal. It follows Liverpool reaching an agreement with the Saudi Pro League side worth an initial £46m, plus around another £10m in add-ons.

Choosing Nunez instead of Gyokeres could have potentially saved Arsenal money, assuming Liverpool would have been prepared to conduct business for the same fee with their rivals, and it's an opportunity Saunders believes they ought to have seized.

Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Wolves and Wrexham boss said: "Nunez, he's up for grabs. Would you rather not have Nunez than Sesko and Gyokeres? They paid a lot of money for them, and I thought, 'He's up for grabs.' I would take a chance on him.

"He's got every finish in his locker, both feet, headers, he's gone round the keeper, he's slotted the keeper, he's chipped the keeper, he's scored from distance. We've seen him do every finish, but somehow he manages to conjure up a miss.

"I don't know how many times he hit the post and the crossbar last season. There's definitely a player in there, you look at him and think, 'What a handful he is to play against.' He scored a lot of goals for Benfica in his second season."

He added: "I wouldn't be surprised if Nunez goes somewhere else and scores 20 goals next season. You might get him on the cheap, you wouldn't pay £90m for him, but you might get him for £40m."

Saunders delivered his daring assessment despite Nunez frequently leaving Liverpool supporters exasperated with his unpredictability since arriving at the club from Benfica in 2022. The 26-year-old managed just five goals in the Premier League for Arne Slot's team last season.

That pales in comparison to Gyokeres's impressive record for Sporting, albeit he knows he will face greater challenges in the upcoming season. Arteta faced questions over how long it might take Gyokeres to gel with his new team-mates after he featured in Arsenal's 3-2 defeat to Villarreal in their penultimate summer friendly.

"I hope days and every day in training I think he's getting a really good feeling," he said. "He's built connections as well outside, which is really important with players that are going to help him to be in the position that he needs to get in.

"His fitness level, he hasn't trained really with the team for two months, so he's now done six or five sessions before today. On Saturday, he will take another step, and he will be in a better condition."