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August 30, 2024

Coventry City Capitalized on Swansea City’s Misstep, Now with £85m Release Clause: Details – Primeira Liga

Thanks to his impressive performances with Sporting Lisbon, Viktor Gyokeres is now one of the most sought-after talents in European football. However, just a few years ago, Swansea City fans might not have anticipated this.

The Swedish forward was loaned to Swansea from Brighton in October 2020 but struggled to make an impact at the club, and few were upset when Brighton recalled him early in January 2021.

Since then, Gyokeres has experienced a remarkable rise. His stellar play at Coventry City led to his transfer to the Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon.

According to journalist Pedro Sepulveda, the striker’s release clause is now set at £85 million, roughly €100 million. It is hard to believe that just a few seasons ago, suggesting Gyokeres would reach such a high level would have been met with disbelief in Swansea.

Viktor Gyokeres Struggled with Form at Swansea City

During the second half of the 2019/20 season, Swansea had Rhian Brewster on loan. His performance was so impressive that he secured a transfer to Sheffield United for a reported £23.5 million that summer. This left Swansea searching for another striker on loan.

Due to the pandemic delaying the end of the 2019/20 season, the transfer window opened later than usual. Swansea announced the signing of Viktor Gyokeres in October 2020, nearly a month into the season, which meant he had to catch up with his new teammates.

Under Steve Cooper, Swansea had several robust attacking options, including Andre Ayew, Jamal Lowe, Wayne Routledge, and Liam Cullen, all regulars in the squad. Gyokeres struggled to find playing time and needed help to secure a spot in the starting XI, making only one league appearance.

While some argue Gyokeres never reached his potential due to limited opportunities, he did not display enough to earn more starts, especially in a Swansea team vying for promotion.

Gyokeres made 12 appearances for Swansea, scoring just once in an FA Cup match against Stevenage—ironically, his final game before Brighton recalled him due to his limited minutes.

His early departure from Swansea was met with little dissatisfaction or frustration, as most supporters felt he was not suited for this level of football. Gyokeres was often compared to previous loan flops like Itay Shechter and Alvaro Vazquez.

Given his subsequent rise in form and £85 million valuation, his transformation has been a considerable surprise to Swansea fans. It is hard to believe such a turnaround was possible after his disappointing stint at SA1.

Viktor Gyokeres has become one of European football’s hottest properties

After being recalled by Brighton, Gyokeres was loaned to Coventry City, a Championship rival of Swansea, for the latter part of the 2020/21 season. He performed better there, netting three league goals, but still did not appear to be a consistent scorer.

Despite this, Mark Robins decided to sign him permanently in the summer of 2021, and Gyokeres quickly adapted to the Championship level.

In the 2021/22 season, he scored 18 goals and provided five assists in 47 appearances across all competitions, with his form improving even more the following season.

During the 2022/23 season, Gyokeres scored 22 goals and 12 assists as the Sky Blues reached the play-off final. Although they did not secure a promotion, it seemed inevitable that Gyokeres would move on, and he did.

According to Coventry Live, Sporting Lisbon acquired him for an initial fee of just £17.5 million, considered a real bargain.

In his debut season in Lisbon, the former Swansea loanee scored an impressive 43 goals and provided 15 assists, bringing his total to 58 goals in 50 matches.