Viktor Gyokeres was Arsenal’s marquee summer signing as they look to fill the void at No 9 but the Swede has found goals hard to come by with his struggles well documented
Viktor Gyokeres has struggled to find the net regularly(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Getty Images)
Viktor Gyokeres “hasn’t got what it takes” to make Arsenal champions with Dietmar Hamann claiming he’s “not good enough” to lead their line.
The Swede was the man Mikel Arteta turned to in the summer as he sought to land a prolific No 9 following years without one. It had been cited as a chink in the Gunners’ armour and they spent north of £60million to land Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon.
The forward had scored 97 goals across his two seasons in Portugal but has been unable to replicate that form in the Premier League, despite Arsenal sitting top of the pile. He’s copped plenty of criticism for failing to adapt to a new league with goals very much at a premium.
Gyokeres has scored 10 goals in 29 appearances for the north Londoners, just five of which have come in the Premier League, but he is also without a non-penalty goals in past 11 league outings.
And ex-Liverpool star Hamann has already come to the conclusion that he is not at Arsenal’s level. He told CasinoBeats: “I always said Arsenal needed a centre-forward. I feel at the moment, even though Viktor Gyokeres didn’t start at the weekend, I don’t think he’s one of the top strikers in Europe. I think he’s a goal scorer but then again I don’t think a goal scorer against the best teams is enough because I don’t think he will get into positions where he can score.
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‘”They brought Gyokeres in as the centre-forward but I don’t think he’s good enough. Whether that will be the deciding factor in the end I don’t know but at the moment, it certainly didn’t help Arsenal. We saw Gyokeres at a few clubs before Sporting and I’m just not sure whether he’s got the ability to play against the best defenders in Europe and in the Premier League.”
The German has been keen to give the new recruit time, but doesn’t believe he can take the Gunners to the summit. “Sometimes we have to give players a bit of time because it’s a difficult game,” he added. “But I’m not sure he’s got what it takes to lead the line for a club like Arsenal and take them to the title in all honesty.”
Mikel Arteta has stuck by Viktor Gyokeres, even if his numbers remain a cause for concern(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Arteta has continued to issue a strong defence of his player, but ultimately needs to see a return on his investment. Gabriel Jesus, for all his quality, was signed from Manchester City in 2022 but couldn’t deliver the numbers that the likes of Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah, previously, have produced.
Arsenal’s lack of an out and out goalscorer hasn’t harmed their trophy ambitions just yet as they remain competitive across all four fronts, but Gyokeres output remains a talking point.
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