🚨💯...Why Gyökeres Said No to Manchester United and Waited for Arsenal.
🔸️He could have earned more elsewhere. He could have waited for Real Madrid. He could have taken the easier deal to Manchester United.
🔸️Instead, Viktor Gyökeres chose Arsenal. Not because they offered the biggest paycheck, but because they were the club he believed in from the very beginning.
🔸️According to Jonathan Chalkias, who works alongside Gyökeres' lead agent Hasan Çetinkaya, Manchester United submitted the more lucrative offer, with Sporting also preferring that deal financially. Yet the striker remained committed to Arsenal throughout the process.
🗣💸"United offered a higher transfer fee, but Arsenal was his choice," Chalkias explained, adding that while money comes and goes, the move to Arsenal also made long-term sporting and commercial sense.
🔸️Chalkias also revealed that Arsenal had always been the destination. Despite discussions with both Real Madrid and Manchester United, he insisted there was never any change in direction.
"From day one there was a commitment to Arsenal."
He added that Gyökeres trusted Çetinkaya's long-term plan from the start. They deliberately chose Sporting as a stepping stone, believing success in Portugal would earn him another opportunity in the Premier League at the right club.
🔸️Perhaps the clearest sign of that commitment came from his agent. Hasan Çetinkaya reportedly waived his 10% commission to help complete the transfer, removing a significant obstacle in negotiations.
🔸️In the end, this wasn't a transfer driven by salary or status. It was a player with multiple elite options who stayed loyal to one vision and made Arsenal his destination.