Brighton don’t usually mislead young players. After all, the quintet of Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Joao Pedro, Ben White and Alexis Mac Allister has brought in £300m in transfer fees over the past four years.
However, the Seagulls have Viktor Gökeres on their contract, selling him to Coventry for just £1 million in 2021. He then became a £20 million player at Sporting CP before signing for Arsenal for £63.5 million. And now he is the holder of the Gerd Müller Trophy, having scored more goals than any other player in 2025.
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Arsenal are set to face Brighton in the Carabao Cup this week, but did you know that striker Victor Goqueres used to play for the Seagulls? Look at the only goal he scored for the club.
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber told Sky Sports: “We knew we had some top-quality players and that later proved.” So why isn’t Gokeres on Seagull’s long list of success stories?
The Swedish forward seems like a typical Brighton player, plucked from obscurity and with huge potential. However, he made just eight first-team appearances, none in the Premier League, and scored just one goal.
He was also part of the successful Brighton Under-23s team that gained promotion to the Premier League 2 top division in 2018. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was also part of that squad and White, now an Arsenal team-mate, shared Brighton’s youth responsibilities with Gokeres.
The first thing to note about Gokeres’ time at Brighton is that he was not a striker. He was a winger. “He could have played centrally, but he was more of a left-wing player,” Josh Kerr, who played alongside the forward in Brighton’s youth set-up, told Sky Sports.
“He sometimes played as a striker, but we had a really good Aaron Connolly. We knew that if we had those two – and we always played in a 4-3-3 – Victor could also play on the left and cut in.”
Gokeres played primarily as a winger in Brighton’s youth and first team.
This means Gokeres played his first top four games for Brighton in that left wing position. But just because the Swede appeared to be playing out of position doesn’t mean he couldn’t show his quality.
“We obviously thought highly of him, but we didn’t expect him to do as well as he did, which is pretty cool,” Kerr said.
“He was getting used to life in England, but I noticed a change in his behavior from month to month.
“You could see the characteristics of what you’re seeing now. He was always adrift, always wanting to get to the finish line.”
That position has influenced Gökeres’ career so far. Most of his goals come from runs from the left channel. This became a staple during his time at Sporting, and his first goal for Arsenal, against Leeds, also came from wide.
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Gokeres’ first goal for Arsenal was a shot from the left.
“He’s probably one of the most ruthless players I’ve ever seen when he’s on the halfway line and trying to score from the left,” Kerr said.
“It’s just pace and power, and sometimes teams just couldn’t handle it.”
His left wing position also contributed to Gökeres’ all-round game. “We want the wingers to go back and help out the full-backs, the thankless job of doubling up when you go to a tough away ground,” Kerr recalled.
“He will do it without you asking him to do it, which is huge for certain teams and managers.
“He was just a good guy. That’s what you get from him. Works hard and does his job for the team.”
That applies today in his role at Arsenal. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and the striker’s north London team-mates highlighted the selfless effort Gokeres brought to the team, despite a run of seven games in which they had fewer goals.
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised striker Goqueres for helping the Gunners beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League.
At Brighton, he eventually moved into the first-team centre-forward role, starting three games in the 2020-21 Carabao Cup under current Swedish national team manager Graham Potter.
He had a goal and an assist in the win over Portsmouth in the second round, and started in the fourth round against Manchester United, which also featured White and Leandro Trossard, his future Arsenal team-mates.
However, this will be his last game for Brighton. For the forward, first-team appearances are over. Not only did it not work out for Gokeres, it also didn’t work out for Kerr. Kerr is the same age as the Swede, retired early due to injury and now works as a CAA-based agent.
“They weren’t playing explosive football at that point,” Kerr said. “You couldn’t really see so many boys getting into the first team that season because it was more about survival.
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Former Gokeres managers Chris Hughton and Mark Robins offer insight into the striker’s early days in England
“They weren’t going to play young boys when they were trying to survive. Once they become an established Premier League club they can start feeding the boys on a drip.”
“So I think it was timing. If I had been at Brighton for a few more years I would have had a few more chances.”
Loans to Swansea and Coventry allowed Gökeres to play more senior football. During his time with Wales, he made more appearances as a left winger, but neither move was able to set the world on fire and Gökeres and Brighton decided to part ways.
“Victor progressed very well, but he wanted to progress even faster,” Brighton CEO Barber recalls.
“At that time we could not guarantee that he would play first-team football here. We were very happy to keep him on loan so that Victor could continue to develop.”
“But I think it says a lot that Victor himself wanted a more permanent base sooner. He eventually got it, and the rest is history.”
The £1 million transfer fee paid by Coventry to Brighton ended up being a turning point for the player. The confidence he gained as a centre-forward for the Sky Blues in the Championship caused a huge change.
In the summer after his permanent transfer, his physical condition improved. “He definitely put in the effort,” Kerr said. “He’s an absolute machine. He’s ripped to shreds!”
He also scored a goal. His famous celebrations were born in Coventry, and the striker himself admitted that the creation of the “mask” coincided with an improvement in his goal record this season.
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Gokeres gave an honest assessment of how he has found life at Arsenal so far, and also opened up about his past in England.
Gökeres still has fond memories of Brighton. That proved to be the case last September when Kerr was in Slovenia on agent work and watched Sweden play in World Cup qualifying while there.
He sent a message to Gökeres, who had roomed with him at a youth tournament in Hong Kong, asking for tickets, and the striker was quickly delivered.
“Some people go the other way and say, ‘I can’t do this anymore,'” Kerr says. “But it shows he has a calm demeanor and is able to take care of the people he knows.”
But do Brighton regret disqualifying Gokeres?
“It depends on whether you say you’ve slipped through or you’ve made progress,” Barber said. “I would rather say that we have made progress.
“It’s always good to find young talent, develop them and see them go on to become even better.
“Aside from a few games this season, we wish him the best of luck!”
Watch Arsenal v Brighton in the Carabao Cup fourth round live on Sky Sports+ this Wednesday from 7:30pm. Kickoff at 7:45 p.m.
