Some Wolves fans who tuned in to watch Sporting CP vs Manchester City last night were left feeling very uncomfortable, as Viktor Gyokeres scored a hat-trick.
City fell to a shocking 4-1 defeat in Lisbon in their fourth Champions League game of the League Phase, with Ruben Amorim’s side taking advantage of some very suspect defending.
City were made to pay for their wastefulness in the first-half, and Gyokeres continued his stunning form this season, hitting a treble.
Two were penalties, but it is crystal clear that Gyokeres is now one of the game’s top strikers.
For Sporting this season he now has 23 goals already, and his total tally for the club is 66 in just 67 games.
He has been a revelation since he completed his move from Coventry City in the summer of 2023, and his progression is making for deeply uncomfortable viewing for some Wolves fans.
Wolves might have signed Viktor Gyokeres
In a parallel universe, Gyokeres might have been lining up for Wolves these days.
It was reported that Wolves were pushing to sign Gyokeres before he completed his move to Sporting in the summer of 2023.
Former Wolves midfielder Dave Edwards backed a move for Gyokeres, suggesting he could have been a similar player to what Raul Jimenez was for Wolves.
In the end, a move never materialised.
The club was indeed in for the player, but chairman Jeff Shi was out of the country as Wolves looked at Gyokeres. The proposed deal ended up dragging and falling through, paving the way for Sporting to sign him for around £17 million.
Wolves fans slam Jeff Shi
Last night, a number of Wolves fans were left reeling as Gyokeres destroyed City, as they thought about what might have been.
The failure to land Gyokeres now looks like a major oversight, and some supporters criticised Jeff Shi for his role in the non-transfer.
Wolves missed out
Gyokeres has had a remarkable 15 months or so at Sporting since joining from Coventry, and looks to be a big oversight from Wolves.
Granted, goalscoring has been less of an issue at Molineux since the start of the 2023/24 season.
But it’s still difficult to look at what Gyokeres is doing right now and wonder what might have been.
The 26-year-old appears to be one of the very best around now, and one would imagine it will not be long before he makes a big-money move to another club.
Wolves missed out on Enzo Fernandez a couple of years ago, with the Argentine ultimately making a huge transfer to the Premier League with Chelsea.
It is now very possible we could see Gyokeres come to England for a huge fee as well with Manchester United, soon to be managed by Ruben Amorim – strongly linked.