Head coach Rui Borges hopes Viktor Gyokeres will not be targeted by the Sporting Lisbon boo brigade on his return to the Portuguese club.
Gyokeres will line up against his former team when Arsenal face Sporting in the opening leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash at Eastadio Jose Alvalade on Tuesday.
The Sweden international scored 97 times across 102 appearances for Sporting before making the move to Arsenal for £64m last summer.
It is anticipated Gyokeres, 27, will receive a hostile reception on his comeback, but Borges said: “He is a great player, and I am sure he will be welcomed by everyone because he marked the history of Sporting, and he deserves this acknowledgement.
“I always try to be balanced, and I try to understand everyone. He had the ambition, and after talking to the management, they came to an understanding so ultimately everything that happened was correct for both sides; both Sporting and the player got what they wanted. He wanted to take that step in his career and we respect that.
“Players will change, but the club stays the same, and Sporting will go on winning. I wish him (Gyokeres) all the best and I am sure he will be very welcome here because the admiration we have for him is great.”
Gyokeres failed to hit the ground running at the Emirates, but the Swede has started to discover some of his best form, managing 17 goals for Arsenal so far. He found the back of the net as a substitute in Arsenal’s recent FA Cup exit at Southampton.
Borges continued: “I believe in the initial stage he had to adapt, given the style of play, and how Arsenal plays. But he is still a great forward and now he is back to what he does well which is scoring goals.
“During the first stage, the (Arsenal) fans were suspicious given what they paid for him, but little by little the truth came to the surface and he is a really great player and he will keep scoring goals.”
Arsenal arrive in Lisbon after experiencing back-to-back defeats for the first time this season after their loss at Southampton came off the back of their Carabao Cup final humbling by Manchester City.
Asked if now is the ideal time to face Mikel Arteta’s side, Borges replied: “No, I don’t believe that.
“It is a great team, and great teams always want to win. They want to be in all competitions.
“They will be like a wounded beast tomorrow. They will be more focused, more willing to show their collective and individual capacity.
“Frankly, I think it will make things more difficult for us the fact that they have not had the best two last matches. But Arsenal will be facing a very motivated team. We believe we can do something extraordinary tomorrow, something that has never been done by Sporting.”
