Viktor Gyokeres Issued ‘Huge Fine’ Over Protest That Forced Arsenal Transfer

Viktor Gyökeres refused to train with Sporting CP to force through his move to Arsenal.

Viktor Gyökeres has officially joined Arsenal. / IMAGO/Maciej Rogowski

Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyökeres was docked his entire salary for the month of July over his conduct during the now completed negotiations with Arsenal, a report has revealed.

Gyökeres made no secret of his determination to join Arsenal and ended up going on strike, refusing to return for pre-season in an attempt to force Sporting to abide by a gentleman’s agreement which club president Frederico Varandas publicly insisted did not exist.

A transfer worth an initial €63.5million (£55.5 million, $74.6 million) plus a further €10 million (£8.7 million, $11.7 million) in bonuses is finally over the line and confirmed, but not before Gyökeres accepted a significant fine for his refusal to train.

According to Record, Gyökeres missed a total of 13 days with his protest, but a social media post of him on holiday in Mallorca when he should have been in training left Varandas seething and saw the Sporting president demand a full month’s salary as punishment.

Gyökeres’s move to Arsenal is close. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

Keen to move on from the saga as he begins his new chapter in London, Gyökeres agreed to Varandas’s demands and accepted the fine of €350,000 (£306,000, $410,000).

Fortunately for Gyökeres, he may not feel the financial blow after being granted permission to collect the bonuses owed to him for his performances last season. On top of a payment for being part of Sporting’s Liga Portugal title victory, Gyökeres also pocketed €500,000 ($587,000) for recording more than 50 goals and assists combined.

The star forward is now an Arsenal player, which has seen him handed the club’s famous No.14 shirt, worn by none other than Thierry Henry, as well as now collecting a lucrative salary which will likely help him move on from his fine fairly quickly.

The Gunners are in Singapore on their pre-season tour but will welcome Gyökeres into the group imminently, although a lack of training over the past month may delay his first appearance.

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