Viktor Gyokeres scored 21 goals in all competitions during his first campaign at Arsenal, but he has only made three Premier League appearances so far this season
Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres (Image: ( Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images))
View 2 Images
Viktor Gyokeres will be sold in January provided Arsenal sign a replacement. That’s the view of Gunners legend Alan Smith after Gyokeres fell down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium.
The Sweden international scored 21 goals in all competitions during his first campaign at the club after he joined in a £63.5m deal from Sporting CP. But Gyokeres has made just three Premier League appearances so far this season and both were as a substitute, with Kai Havertz firmly in the starting XI ahead of him.
Mikel Arteta’s side also pursued a deal for Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez during the summer transfer window as he looked to add some attacking reinforcements to his squad. And not only does Smith believe the Gunners would cash in Gyokeres during the upcoming winter window, but he also believes the former Coventry City forward would be open to leaving the North London club.
He said: “If they did get another top striker, I think he would be sold, and he'd probably want to go, because he'd then be dropped one more place down the pecking order. So yeah, I think he would be sold, and there'd be plenty of clubs that would want him, I think.
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
“Whether Arsenal can get somebody in January, maybe a long shot. They'll probably be working on it now, but it's not easy, as we know, in January.”
Arsenal’s long wait for a Premier League title finally ended last season when they were crowned champions for the first time in 22 years, but they suffered heartbreak in the Champions League when they were beaten in the final on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain.
However, when asked whether Arteta should prioritise the Champions League over the Premier League this season, Smith bluntly replied: “No, I don't think you can prioritise one over the other.
“You don't want to be a one-season wonder, win the title and then you don't win it again for a few years. You want to have that consistency.
Josh Kroenke, Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta celebrate Arsenal's Premier League title win
Josh Kroenke, Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta celebrate Arsenal's Premier League title win(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
“So certainly you can put them both on the same level, because they've got such a strong squad, Arsenal. You can go for both in equal measure in the way that they did last season, getting to the final.
“So as much as everybody at Arsenal would love to have that star on the shirt, to win the league again and really cement their place as the team to beat in England should be the goal.”
The biggest story in football during the international break was Man City being found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules by an independent commission.
City have since lodged their appeal against the verdict, but Smith, speaking via BestBettingSites, believes: “I think that Arsenal and all these teams will feel aggrieved.
“There's no doubt about it. Everybody's, in the main, staying within the rules, the limits of spending.
“And they've got a team that's beaten them to titles and trophies but haven't stayed within the rules. So you're bound to feel aggrieved.
“I remember all those years under Arsene Wenger when they were repaying the stadium, and they couldn't spend big, and it was frustrating for the fans, but they abided by the rules.”