RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose goes into raptures about Viktor Gyökeres - even though the Bundesliga club could have signed him themselves. "He has incredible stats, almost more goals than games. He has developed a little differently to other top strikers in Europe," said Rose. Gyökeres has scored 76 times in 81 games for the Portuguese side so far, with 22 goals in 18 league games this season alone.
The goalscorer, who is now being courted by many top European clubs, was a candidate to replace Bundesliga top scorer Christopher Nkunku, who moved to Chelsea, in the summer of 2023. Leipzig opted for Loïs Openda. Gyökeres, who was playing for second division side Coventry at the time, moved to Sporting Lisbon, who RB face in the Champions League on Wednesday (18:45/DAZN).
Sometimes beautiful, sometimes unusual
Gyökeres' diversity impresses Rose enormously. "He scores unorthodox goals, he scores beautiful goals and from all situations. He can tie up balls and, if he has to, he can take on entire defenses on his own," said the 48-year-old. "He's simply a great player who has come a long way."
This path led Gyökeres to FC St. Pauli in the 2019/20 season, where he scored seven goals in 28 games. The 26-year-old eventually moved to Sporting for over €20 million, where his market value multiplied once again.
Openda looking for his form
Leipzig opted for Openda at the time and transferred around €40 million to RC Lens in return. Considering the values involved, this was not a bad transfer either. The 24-year-old immediately established himself in Leipzig and currently has 38 goals in a total of 70 RB games.
The Belgian international has yet to really hit form this season, scoring a mediocre six goals in 17 Bundesliga games.
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