Arsenal icon Parlour believes Gyokeres could be a key man for the Gunners as they chase down a long-awaited crown, telling The Sun: “If he can do what he did against Tottenham week in, week out then that would be fantastic. He looked like a different player against Tottenham. He looks a lot more confident.
“Not just his goals he scored, but the all-round play was much better. He was getting into the right positions. The last goal was like prime Thierry Henry back in the day. Henry used to do that on a regular basis. So, if he can carry on that form, that would be the missing link, because that’s probably where Arsenal are weakest. If you look at the team in general, it’s the strike force.
“You’ve got to do it week in, week out. That’s the hard bit. Thierry obviously did it week in, week out. And if Gyokeres can do that, that could be the difference this year, definitely.”
Parlour formed part of Arsenal’s fabled ‘Invincibles’ squad back in 2003-04, and they remain the last Gunners team to land the Premier League title. The class of 2025-26 hold a five-point lead at the top of the table.
Parlour said: “If you said to me in 2004 that you won’t win the league again for another 20-odd years, I’d have said ‘No chance. We’ll definitely win the league before that.’ So, it just shows you how difficult it is and how hard it is to win that league.”