Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac spoke highly of Premier League champions Arsenal after beating them 3-2 in the Emirates Cup on Sunday, but reserved special praise for their striker Viktor Gyokeres.
The Swedish sharpshooter was on target for the Gunners, dispatching a confident penalty in the 69th minute to bring Arsenal within touching distance of the BVB in the match as Gyokeres had a productive return to the side.
The 28-year-old was a part of Graham Potter's Sweden team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup that reached the Round of 32 whilst scoring in their opening 5-1 victory over Tunisia. He was given an extended break like a few other World Cup stars by Mikel Arteta's side but returned to the fold last week and made his first appearance of the preseason.
After the match, British sports agency Hayters TV asked Kovac about the one Arsenal player who impressed him the most, to which he named Gyokeres. He said:
""Well, there are a lot of top players when you see, Gyokeres is strong, he's quick, he's fast, he's very direct, so we know him very well but yeah, I can mention all the players.""
Gyokeres played a vital role in Arsenal's Premier League title triumph last season, netting a squad-high of 14 goals to emerge as their reliable focal point in attack while bagging a few more in the Champions League as the Gunners reached the finals.
But despite his heroics, a lot of Arsenal fans weren't fully convinced with him given their massive outlay of £55 million for Gyokeres' services from Sporting CP last summer. Indeed, his tally of 21 goals in all competitions last season was the lowest he's seen since netting 18 times for Coventry City in the 2022-23 campaign.
He gave a glimpse of what's in store for the new season by turning in a menacing performance against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday as Gyokeres made four attempts at goal in the match, even hitting the woodwork once.
Dortmund's own Swedish star also shines
There was another Swede on the pitch during the game, Dortmund's very own Daniel Svensson. He too, had a wonderful game, bagging an assist for Konstantinos Karetsas' goal after regaining possession near the halfway line and then laying it off for the youngster. It was his second direct goal contribution in the preseason after having assisted Fabio Silva for his winner against FC Tokyo on 1 August.
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