Coventry City: Viktor Gyokeres decision that landed them £15m in profit will be talked about for decades | OneFootball

Coventry City: Viktor Gyokeres decision that landed them £15m in profit will be talked about for decades | OneFootball

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Football League World

·27 October 2024

Coventry City: Viktor Gyokeres decision that landed them £15m in profit will be talked about for decades

Article image:Coventry City: Viktor Gyokeres decision that landed them £15m in profit will be talked about for decades

Gyokeres was signed by the Sky Blues in a bargain deal - and went on to be sold for a sizeable eight-figure fee.

Coventry City's recruitment has allowed them to climb from League Two to the Championship under Mark Robins.


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However, two of their best additions in recent years have been in the second tier, with Gus Hamer joining the club following their promotion from League One.

He proved to be a brilliant midfield signing, with the Dutchman establishing himself as a real attacking threat and earning himself a move to then-Premier League club Sheffield United last year.

Callum O'Hare joined the Sky Blues when they were in League One, but only made that deal permanent once they secured a return to the second tier.

Viktor Gyokeres proved to be a bargain addition at Coventry City

Article image:Coventry City: Viktor Gyokeres decision that landed them £15m in profit will be talked about for decades

Viktor Gyokeres is another player who made the move to Coventry on loan before sealing a permanent switch to the Coventry Building Society Arena - and the Sky Blues placed a lot of faith in the now-Sweden international to perform after tying him down to a longer-term deal.

He didn't exactly shine when he was on loan, joining the club on a temporary deal from Brighton and Hove Albion during the January 2021 window.

Scoring just three goals in 19 appearances during his loan spell, that isn't exactly an impressive record, even with the fact he often came on as a substitute in mind.

And considering his goalscoring rate during his temporary stay wasn't that great, it came as a surprise to some people when the Sky Blues recruited him permanently.

He was reportedly recruited for just under £1m, which wasn't a bad deal for Gyokeres considering he was only 23 at the time and had plenty of time to improve because of that.

And the player proved why he was worth bringing in permanently almost straight away, with the forward getting himself on the scoresheet in a 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest.

This was a special game, because it marked their return to the CBS Arena.

The atmosphere was exceptional that day - and that game may have given Gyokeres the platform to enjoy the season that he did during the 2021/22 campaign.

He was consistently impressive during his two full seasons with the Sky Blues and was particularly important during the latter stages of his spell there.

The 26-year-old played a big part in Robins' side's winning goal at Middlesbrough in the play-off final semi-final showing great composure and unselfishness to set up Hamer.

He also set up Hamer for his goal against Luton Town in the play-off final, with his threatening run and excellent pass giving Hamer the opportunity to make it 1-1.

Unfortunately for them, the Hatters went on to win the game, and it looked inevitable that Gyokeres was going to move on after that.

He only had one year left on his deal at the time - and the forward moved on to Portuguese outfit Sporting Lisbon - who signed him for a fee in the region of €20m (£17.5m).

That figure means the Sky Blues made a profit of more than £15m on the Sweden international, reinforcing the brilliance of Coventry's decision to sign him permanently despite a mediocre loan spell.

Viktor Gyokeres could make Coventry City more money in the future

Gyokeres has proved to be a real hit out in Portugal, scoring a remarkable number of goals for his current side since his arrival and impressing both in the league and in European competitions too.

Scoring 43 goals in 50 competitive appearances last season and also impressing during the early stages of this term, it seems inevitable that he will move on at some point.

Sporting is an excellent club to be at, but clearly, he will want to make even bigger strides in the game, with Arsenal previously being linked with a move for him.

Coventry hold a 10% sell-on clause as part of the deal that took Gyokeres to Portgual, so not only could they make a further €4m in bonuses, but they could also make money from his future move away from his current side.

Considering the amount Coventry have already made in profit, this is a deal that will be talked about for years. And the fact the Sky Blues could profit further from his sale is a triumph for them.

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