Gyökeres Unveiled as Dowman Inspires Arsenal Win Over Newcastle

Arsenal’s new £64 million striker, Viktor Gyökeres, was officially presented to fans in Singapore on Sunday, shortly before a dramatic 3-2 pre-season victory over Newcastle United in which 15-year-old prodigy Max Dowman won the decisive penalty.

While the unveiling of the Swedish international was the main event off the pitch, the friendly itself provided plenty of action. Newcastle’s new signing, Anthony Elanga, scored his first goal for the club with a sixth-minute opener. Arsenal responded through Mikel Merino before an own goal from Newcastle’s Alex Murphy gave them a halftime lead.

A second-half strike from Jacob Murphy levelled the scores, but the introduction of teenage forward Max Dowman proved decisive. The youngster embarked on a skillful run into the penalty area, drawing a foul to win a late spot-kick, which captain Martin Odegaard calmly converted to secure the win for the Gunners.

The focus before kick-off, however, was firmly on Gyökeres. The 27-year-old, whose transfer from Sporting CP was confirmed on Saturday, was introduced to a rapturous reception at the National Stadium, waving to fans from the pitch.

“We are super happy to have Viktor with us, it’s been a long journey to get him over here,” manager Mikel Arteta said after the match. “He was very clear from the beginning where he wanted to play and how passionate I felt from him from day one when we first spoke. You can see the boys, you can see the environment as well, very excited with his arrival.”

Arteta praised the club’s extensive summer business, which has seen them spend approximately £204 million on six new players. He confirmed that Gyökeres, who has not trained with a team since May, will be assessed before a decision is made on his potential debut against Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong on Thursday.

The manager also had high praise for the game-changing contribution of 15-year-old Dowman. “What he’s done today against this team in the time that he had on the pitch is something certainly not common to witness for a 15-year-old,” Arteta said. “We are extremely happy to have him.”

For Newcastle, the match was played under the cloud of uncertainty surrounding their own Swedish striker, Alexander Isak, who is the subject of interest from Liverpool. Manager Eddie Howe confirmed after the game that “nothing had changed” regarding Isak’s situation and that there was no chance of him joining the team in Asia.