Viktor Gyokeres endured another goalless outing as Arsenal beat Fulham and the striker has been warned he will not replicate his Sporting Lisbon numbers in the Premier League
Viktor Gyokeres faced another goalless outing on Saturday night
Viktor Gyokeres faced another goalless outing on Saturday night
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Alan Shearer believes Viktor Gyokeres will eventually come good at Arsenal but insists he will get "nowhere near" the numbers he posted at Sporting Lisbon - which ultimately convinced the Gunners to sign him.
The Swede move to the Emirates in the summer in a deal worth £67million. He was bought in as Mikel Arteta sought to add a prolific No 9 to his forward line, but Gyokeres has struggled to consistently produce in the final third. His current tally for the season sits at just three goals.
The 27-year-old has not found the net in his last seven appearances for Arsenal across all competitions and missed more chances during their narrow win over Fulham on Saturday night.
Gyokeres was Europe's highest scorer last season as he claimed numerous honours with Sporting, but Shearer insists he is nowhere near the likes of Harry Kane, Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappe - who have set the standard in European football.
He said on Match of the Day: "He’s not in the league of the three we showed in the previous clip, far from that. But I think he brings a different strength, there’s no doubt that he will have to improve his goalscoring, as you said, he’s only got three."
"But one of his strengths which has suited Arsenal is he actually goes in behind. When he does that it creates space for others to play because last season you had [Kai] Havertz or [Mikel] Merino coming short and that’s easier for teams to defend against. When you’re running the other way they get deeper and deeper and that then opens up space for others to play. I think from that point of view he has improved Arsenal."
The Newcastle great went on to say: "I think he will get the goals, obviously, nowhere near as many as he got last season. But he will get goals with the number of chances that Arsenal create, he will, and his numbers should improve."
Viktor Gyokeres scored nearly 100 times in his two years in Portugal
Viktor Gyokeres scored nearly 100 times in his two years in Portugal
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Gyokeres continues to have the backing of his head coach and his team-mates, who have insisted that his overall performance is helping the team, even if he's not getting on the scoresheet. The win at Craven Cottage further extend Arsenal's lead at the top of the table.
They hit the summit just before the international break and saw Manchester City win on Saturday afternoon, responding hours later. Liverpool play Manchester United on Sunday, when they will have the chance to cut Arsenal's lead to a point once again.
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