Viktor Gyokeres just does not look like the same striker we all sat and watched last season for Arsenal.
The Swedish ace might be in good form for his country and banging in the goals, but when it comes to playing for the Gunners, he is simply not at the races.
Gyokeres was handed a start tonight against Lille and the harsh reality was that this was a chance for him to stake his claim to Mikel Arteta and show why he should be getting picked.
Sadly, it just did not happen for Gyokeres at all and in what will be even more worrying for him, Arsenal immediately looked a better team when he was subbed off.
So much so, that the striker will now be wondering where his next start is coming from.
Viktor Gyokeres will be secretly annoyed by Arsenal’s performance after he went off
You cannot sugarcoat this in any way but Viktor Gyokeres was simply not up to it against Lille.
A quick glance at every top player ratings site will show scores of six out of ten or less for the Swede and ultimately, it’s not good enough.
Gyokeres was subbed almost immediately after Arsenal took the lead and what happened from there just about summed up where he is right now in terms of form. Eberechi Eze made it 2-0 almost instantly, before Bukayo Saka added the third minutes later.
Arsenal immediately looked better with both Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz on the field and that in itself will be a big worry for Gyokeres.
Not that he can complain really. His stats show how ineffective he was. He didn’t have a single shot in his 65 minutes on the field, failed to create any chances for his teammates, and managed just eight passes, a team low by some considerable distance.
Right now, things are just not clicking for Gyokeres or Arsenal in general when he plays. And with suggestions the Gunners are in the market for new forwards if they become available, Gyokeres faces a big few months before the winter window.