Jamie Carragher’s controversial take on Gyökeres being Arsenal’s real answer. Arsenal brought in Viktor Gyökeres for a reported €73 million this summer. Many fans thought Arsenal finally discovered the goal scorer to lead them to a Premier League title. Not so fast, said Liverpool legend and well known pundit Jamie Carragher, who had an opposing view that caused some controversy. Carragher is potentially suggesting that the Swedish international may not be a game changer like many expect.
The Core of Carragher’s Critique
Jamie Carragher’s controversial take on Gyökeres mainly addresses the suitability for Arsenal’s biggest matches. He had scored two goals in his first three league matches prior to the Saturday fixture analysed by Carragher. Carragher was still focusing on group and preparing for clashes with the minds of opposing defenders. He noted Gyökeres was “not always the prettiest on the eye”. He was skeptical if Gyökeres would seamlessly adapt to the Premier League’s unforgiving nature. His bold prediction is that Mikel Arteta will favour Kai Havertz over Gyökeres in crucial Champions League clashes and key domestic fixtures once the German is fully fit.
The Case for Havertz Over the New Signing
It is not a knee-jerk reaction. Carragher’s position was that Havertz offered more versatility and breadth of knowledge in Arteta’s system. Thus, for the structure, Havertz is a more important piece when playing tighter matches which require discipline as a team. He even suggested that Havertz would have started ahead of Gyökeres in the recent clash against Liverpool had he been available. In Carragher’s view, Gyökeres may instead become a “useful alternative”—a physical solution against less formidable teams who sit deep—rather than the outright first-choice striker.
A Stunning Rebuttal from the Opposition
Carragher’s stance has not gone unchallenged. Fellow pundit Gary Neville was left “stunned,” countering that a player of Gyökeres’ caliber and cost cannot be left out of big games and suggesting Arteta might try pairing both him and Havertz together. This disagreement highlights the uncertainty surrounding how Arteta will ultimately integrate his new star.
Carragher’s Ultimate Verdict: Defence Wins Titles
Ultimately, Carragher’s analysis shifts the title take away from the more rambunctious new signing and returns it to the team’s established defensive psyche, commenting that Arsenal’s chances likely live and die instead with William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and David Raya rather than their illustrious new signing, Gyökeres. Only time well tell if he is correct in his somewhat cynical honourable mention for Gyökeres.