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Arsenal legend Ian Wright (Picture: Getty)
Ian Wright admits he is ‘not happy’ with the ‘level’ of Viktor Gyokeres but says all will be forgiven if Arsenal win the Premier League.
Gyokeres has has a mixed first season at the Emirates Stadium following his £64m move from Sporting last summer.
The 27-year-old was one of the most prolific goalscorers in the world during his time in Portugal, scoring an impressive 97 goals in just 102 appearances.
Gyokeres has been nowhere near as productive for Arsenal, contributing 13 goals in 32 games, eight of which came in the Premier League.
The Sweden international endured two fairly substantial goal droughts but has been in decent form since the New Year, scoring five times in his last eight outings.
Even when Gyokeres has been in the goals, a number of pundits have questioned his all-round game, especially compared to fellow Arsenal forwards Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
Arsenal legend Wright has been disappointed by Gyokeres’ ‘performance levels’ but believes he can be a ‘stronger’ asset to Mikel Arteta next season if the Gunners get over the line in the title race.
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Arsenal summer signing Viktor Gyokeres (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal have been the standout team in the Premier League this season but lead second-placed Manchester City by just three points ahead of Thursday’s clash with London rivals Brentford.
Asked whether Gyokeres has been a ‘hit, miss or a maybe’ for Arsenal, Wright said on the Stick to Football podcast: ‘A maybe, a maybe.
‘Fingers crossed for him, it’s a maybe right now. If we’re judging him just on goals… you can probably say yeah [he’s met expectations], but you judge him on everything he’s bringing to the team.
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‘He’s just somebody who I think, as long as we can finish it off [the title race], next year he will come stronger. So I’m a maybe.’
Ex-Manchester United defender Gary Neville then said to Wright: ‘You’re not happy with his performance levels are you?’
To which Wright replied: ‘At the moment, not really, no.’
Neville’s former teammate Roy Keane was more positive about Gyokeres, claiming he has been a ‘hit’ this season.
‘I’m going to say hit, he’s doing what he’s supposed to do at Arsenal,’ Keane insisted. ‘I think by the end of the season he will be a hit.’
Discussing Gyokeres’ upturn in form since the start of the year, Arteta said at his pre-Brentford press conference that things were starting to ‘click’ for his summer signing.
Asked if Gyokeres is doing anything different now compared to at the start of the season, Arteta said: ‘Not much. I mean, his work ethic remains the same.
‘I think probably the energy, the confidence, when you start to score and assist, and you score and assist, you probably believe that it’s going to happen more often and the probability of that happening then increases.
‘That’s the only thing as well. I think physically as well, after the injury, because when he got injured, probably, he had his best game, or the best two or three games before that period.
‘When he got himself again fresh and available, and training and a sequence of good matches there, I think everything lifted and now it’s clicking.’
Arteta is attempting to secure Arsenal’s first Premier League title since Arsene Wenger lifted the trophy in 2004.
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