Alan Shearer and Viktor Gyokeres
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Alan Shearer has backed Viktor Gyokeres to eventually find his rhythm at Arsenal but warned that the striker won’t replicate the prolific numbers he produced at Sporting Lisbon, the form that earned him a £67 million summer move to north London.
The Swedish forward arrived at the Emirates with high expectations after lighting up the Portuguese league last season, where he finished as Europe’s top scorer. Mikel Arteta brought him in to lead the line and add a clinical edge to Arsenal’s attack, but Gyokeres has struggled to consistently deliver in front of goal so far.
The 27-year-old has managed only three goals this campaign and has now gone seven matches without scoring across all competitions. His wastefulness was again evident during the Gunners’ narrow 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday evening.
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Speaking on Match of the Day, Shearer acknowledged Gyokeres’ effort and tactical contribution but maintained that he still has a long way to go before matching the elite marksmen in Europe. “He’s not in the league of the three we showed in the previous clip, far from that,” the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer said, referencing Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappe.
“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.”
The all-time top Premier League goal scorer has come to the defence of Viktor Gyokeres.
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Shearer highlighted one key area in which the Swede has enhanced Arsenal’s attacking dynamics. “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.”
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Despite Gyokeres’ modest goal return, Shearer believes the chances Arsenal create will eventually yield better results for the striker.
“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,” he added.
Arteta and the Arsenal dressing room have continued to publicly support Gyokeres, insisting his movement, pressing, and link-up play have made the team more dynamic even when he isn’t scoring. His overall contribution was once again on display as the Gunners’ victory at Craven Cottage extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
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