Arsenal’s recent acquisition, Viktor Gyokeres, has already come under fire following a lacklustre debut, which saw him fail to register any shots on target over the course of 60 minutes. Critics have queried the rationale behind the signing, highlighting concerns that the Swede could follow in the footsteps of Rasmus Hojlund, whose potential was deemed unfulfilled.
Former France international Frank Leboeuf, speaking to ESPN, voiced his scepticism about the move, suggesting that Gyokeres’ style of play may not suit Arsenal’s current tactical approach. Leboeuf questioned the strategic fit of the player, noting, “My concern is, why do you recruit a player like Gyokeres when you know that the rest of the team won’t play that way?”
He continued, “You have a player that you need to cross the ball to as quickly as possible, and if you block it, and you make it slow, that guy is useless.”
Leboeuf drew a parallel to Hojlund, expressing a hope that Gyokeres doesn’t share a similar fate. “I really hope that he’s not going to have the same path as Hojlund, and score many goals for the Gunners. But today, he was nowhere near it.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta defended his new striker in the post-match press conference, attributing the lack of opportunities to a broader team issue rather than individual inadequacy. Arteta remarked, “He did a lot of things very good. It is something that we have to work on with him, especially there.”
Arteta expressed that more emphasis should be placed on playing to Gyokeres’ strengths, allowing him to exploit his quality effectively. Despite the criticism, Arsenal’s victory over Manchester United marked a positive start for Gyokeres in terms of team outcome.
In other Arsenal news, fans were left to savour an ‘ugly’ victory that may not have dazzled but nonetheless delivered the desired result.
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