Yahoo News Viktor Gyokeres' agent reveals Rúben Amorim transfer chat amid Liverpool links
Viktor Gyokeres’ agent claims he turned down eight Premier League clubs last summer to sign for Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim – the man whom he was convinced would take the striker to the next level after leaving Coventry City.
Hasan Cetinkaya says he and the Sky Blues had eight ‘concrete proposals’ that guaranteed ‘more money, more commissions and higher transfer value’ for the 25-year-old but he advised him to turn everything down to move to work with the Portuguese coach who has been linked with Liverpool this week, tipped to be Jurgen Klopp’s replacement in the summer.
The agent travelled to Portugal at the weekend to take in Sporting’s top of the table clash with Benfica and to discuss the player’s future. Gyokeres has been a sensation at the club where he's scored 36 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions to spark interest from a host of clubs again this coming summer. The player has a 100m Euro release clause, while Coventry will benefit from a sell-on fee if and when he moves.
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In an interview with Lisbon-based outlet Record, Cetinkaya was asked about the plans for the Sweden international’s future, to which he answered: “Before answering that question, I would like to go back in time a little, because there are many people who continue to ask me why I brought Viktor to Sporting. Because everyone was shocked by this.
“Everyone was waiting for Viktor to sign with a Premier League club. And the answer to that question is that I brought Viktor to Sporting for just one reason, and this is also something I said to Mr Amorim when I saw him for the first time, and I said it before I even said hello to him: I only brought my player here because of you. Therefore, I only brought Gyökeres to Sporting because of Rúben Amorim.”
He added: “There were eight Premier League clubs who made concrete proposals to Coventry and me, which guaranteed more money, more commissions and a higher transfer value than Sporting. I said no to everyone and told Viktor that Sporting was our next destination. He is very respectful, he trusts me as a businessman and he immediately replied: ‘No problem, I’ll go wherever you tell me’. Therefore, Rúben Amorim was, and is, the key to Viktor taking this step towards Sporting.”
Asked why Rúben Amorim was so important to this decision, he explained: “The reason is that I already followed Rúben before, since when he was at Sp. Braga. I knew how he worked with the players. I knew he had been a player at Benfica, because he played with my other client, Viktor Lindelöf, and from him I knew he was an exceptional person.
“I also know his philosophy at Sporting, what he has been doing, as well as his idea of the game and the way he could make Viktor evolve to another level. That was more important to me than taking Viktor to the Premier League and making more money. Most people told me I was being stupid for doing this, almost everyone said the same, even in England.
“They asked me: ‘How can you do this, say no to all these Premier League clubs and take him to Sporting?’ Therefore, I planned this to happen like this because of Rúben Amorim, his strategy, how he plays, how he develops players. And he also knew how much Amorim wanted him. It was like a passion for him.”
Asked to confirm that Gyokeres had more financially advantageous offers last summer when he was sold for just over £20million by the Sky Blues, the agent said: “Much better, much better. And the transfer value was also higher, from Premier League clubs. As I said, eight clubs made concrete offers to me for him. Eight clubs, all with concrete proposals. And Viktor also spoke to five other coaches on the phone, and they all asked him to sign for them.”
