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87 points (+45 GD) | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Viktor Gyokeres has yet to fully convince in an Arsenal shirt and Mikel Arteta must rue not giving the green light to sign the league’s in-form striker.
There is no statistic more confirming in terms of assessing a club’s recruitment than their league position.
Admittedly, there are more factors like the quality of the manager, but the team with the best players invariably wins more often and Arsenal are proving this point almost to perfection. They are multi-dimensional in that if chances are hard to come by, goals can be scored via set plays with the defence providing the sort of protection to David Raya that makes one goal enough to win, more often than not.
Arsenal missed out on Premier League’s in-form striker
One signing from the summer is still being questioned though with Viktor Gyokeres continuing to look more like a player who has been signed from the Championship rather than from Portugal after hitting a goal every game during his time at Sporting Lisbon. His work rate and attitude can’t be questioned, but there is clearly a difference in how he is being asked to play compared to when he was in the Primeira Liga and he is yet to adapt.
A new striker has been on Mikel Arteta’s radar for some time and the Gunners boss might be regretting not giving the green light to a Bosman deal for a player who they were linked with for £20m this time last season. After scoring his seventh league goal and sixth in five games, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is pushing hard for a place on the plane with England’s squad to the World Cup. His quality has never really been questioned and, now that he is fit, he is showing just how good he is for Leeds Utd. Had he been signed, he could have provided the sort of competition to push Gyokeres to another level.
Is Calvert-Lewin heading to the World Cup?
Calvert-Lewin’s form has caught many by surprise including former Premier League midfielder Darren Ambrose, via talkSPORT: "He's got seven in his last six, but he has eight this season. So this purple patch he's on at the moment is probably the best of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The Dominic Calvert-Lewin that got into that England side. The Dominic Calvert-Lewin that, in my opinion, should and could go to the World Cup."
Daniel Farke also believes that Calvert-Lewin could be rewarded for his recent form: "Yes, of course, because Thomas Tuchel rewards performances. I'm far away from giving any recommendation because Thomas is a top class top class manager and coach and knows exactly what he needs. But as a player, if you deliver with consistency, performances, then you have all chances.
"He was there before, has proven that he can score goals for the Three Lions. And yes, if he shows this with consistency in this league, then yes, also any chances to be back there again."
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