Viktor Gyokeres has spoken out about his future at Arsenal, insisting he never wanted to leave during the summer transfer window, while the Gunners are set to benefit from a £27m UEFA compensation package.
Gyokeres addresses exit rumours
The Swedish forward was linked with a move away from the Emirates in the summer, with reports suggesting a potential swap deal involving Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez. The Argentine ultimately turned down the move to stay in Spain.
Gyokeres, who has scored twice during the current international break with Sweden, has now moved to quash speculation about his future.
"Of course, there was a lot of speculation. But I had a full pre-season, and it felt good. I was fully focused on Arsenal. For me, staying was a given. I'm extremely happy at the club," Gyokeres said.
Playing time hopes
The forward, who has been left out of Mikel Arteta's starting plans at the beginning of the season, also expressed his desire for more minutes on the pitch.
"It's clear that I want to play football and as much as possible. Hopefully that will come, too. You always want to be on the field as a football player. Of course you expect more playing time, but we have an extremely good squad with a lot of good players and have been doing well here at the start," he added.
UEFA compensation package
Arsenal are set to receive a share of a £27m compensation package from UEFA, which intends to reimburse clubs for releasing players to participate in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League as part of its Club Benefits Programme.
The scheme will see funds distributed among 611 clubs across all member associations, with a rate of £3,296 per eligible appearance on the match sheet for both Nations League and European Qualifier matches.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: "The Club Support Programme acknowledges the essential contribution that clubs add to the success of national team football. Through this Programme, we distribute a share of UEFA EURO and UEFA Nations League revenue to clubs across Europe, professional and amateur alike, in recognition of their role in developing players and releasing them for national team duty. When football thrives, everybody benefits."
