Ben White reveals what he said to Viktor Gyokeres before his Arsenal transfer, ‘I think he knew…’

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Viktor Gyokeres received a message from Ben White before his transfer to Arsenal was announced.

White and Gyokeres crossed paths early in their careers at Brighton, with both going on to succeed away from the Amex.

The defender signed for Arsenal in 2021 for an eyebrow-raising fee of £50m, a pricetag that has since barely been mentioned due to his success under Mikel Arteta.

Four years later, the Englishman reunited with Gyokeres at Arsenal, with the 27-year-old arriving to join a familiar face in North London.

• READ MORE: Martin Odegaard reveals which striker he’d honestly rather play with, Viktor Gyokeres or Alexander Isak

What Ben White told Viktor Gyokeres before he signed for Arsenal 

Not everyone at Brighton was convinced by Gyokeres, but White was.

Speaking in an interview with Arsenal’s official website, the right-back revealed that he always knew the forward was ‘destined for greatness’.

“We played together at Brighton for a long time, maybe three or four years, and I could tell even then that he was always destined for greatness.

“From the moment he came to Brighton, he was brought into the under-21s group, and you could see he had something special about him at that age.”

White went on to reveal that the pair ‘spent a lot of time together’ rising through the ranks at Brighton, making their paths crossing again at Arsenal all the more special.

Amid speculation, before Gyokeres’ transfer to Arsenal was announced, White contacted his former teammate.

“I spoke to him a little bit before he signed, but there was a lot going on, so I didn’t want to bother him. All I said to him was that he would love it here, but I think he knew that already.”

Gyokeres only wanted Arsenal during the summer transfer window, making his response to White’s recommendation completely unsurprising. 

White’s record when playing alongside Gyokeres

Having only played an hour of football together so far at Arsenal, the pair will hope to combine on the pitch a lot more as time goes on.

At Brighton, they fused well at U23 level, combining for one goal in the nine recorded appearances they made, as per Transfermarkt.

Aside from upping their game time, another thing White and Gyokeres will hope to improve is their record when playing on the same team, winning only three from nine for Brighton U23 when they were both on the pitch.

It’s been an incredible journey for the two players, who, at 27, are now treasured first-team members at Arsenal.