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Morning all.
Ben White has been talking about our number 14, a striker he knows all about and long before he arrived at Arsenal.
> _He’s a monster! He lives for goals doesn’t he? He’s a constant threat,” White told the Arsenal official website. You really don’t want to get in his way when you are playing against him, because he’ll just move you out of the way anyway! He’s such a big presence, and I think it will be a massive help that he’s already played in English football.
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> _You see a lot of people come to the Premier League and they’ve had no taste of what it’s like, and it can be a struggle. But for Viktor, he’s well used to it. He played at Coventry, and I played loads of games with him at Brighton. So he’s seen it, he knows what it’s going to be like and what to expect from the defenders._
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> _I can’t say a bad word about him, to be honest. He’s one of the most professional trainers I’ve ever seen; he’s right up there with Martin Odegaard in that respect._
Viktor Gyokeres has scored two of Arsenal’s six goals scored so far this season. I know we’re only three games in but it’s three games in which the team have kind of struggled to get onto the same page. But they will, of that I’m convinced but English football, or at least Premier League football, is different now to when he last in England and in any case, he didn’t feature in any Premier League fixtures. So, just as his new teammates are trying to work him out, he not only has to work them out but what Premier League football is all about too. Not to mention the opponents.
If one was to look back at the signings Arsenal have made over the years, bedding in new players has more often than not, taken time. Even the greats like Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires etc, struggled for a few months when they first arrived. Some never really get over their struggles and ended up leaving within a season or two. This doesn’t just happen at Arsenal though.
Not every player who switches clubs will hit the ground running, especially when they move late into pre-season and/or from a different league. I kind of feel sorry for Gyokeres though because the pressure on him to deliver is huge. Partly because of his recent outstanding goal return for Sporting but also because Arsenal haven’t had an out and out striker for a few years now. Everything he does or doesn’t do will be heavily scrutinised by all and sundry, including Arsenal fans.
To finish with some good news, both Ben White and Christian Norgaard were back in training yesterday so will in all likelihood, be in the squad for tomorrow’s game. As for Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, I guess we’ll hear more about both later today when Mikel Arteta speaks to the media. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz too.
Catch up in the comments.