Gary Lineker has given his brutal review of Viktor Gyokeres at Arsenal so far, claiming he doesn’t want to be “rude” when discussing the ability of the striker compared to one other star.
Gary Lineker has claimed that Viktor Gyokeres isn’t “in the same league as Erling Haaland” in a blunt review of the Arsenal striker’s time so far at the club. It comes as the Swedish international scored the winner from the penalty spot for the Gunners, as they overcame Everton in a tense encounter at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Arsenal were awarded a penalty in the first half when Jake O’Brien was deemed to have handled the ball from a cross, which was given after a VAR review. While the Premier League leaders do have penalty takers in the likes of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, it was Gyokeres who stepped up to slam the spot kick into the back of the net.
It ended the wait for a goal in the league since early November for the striker, who has struggled with a mixture of settling into the system under Mikel Arteta as well as a general lack of service. For Lineker, however, it’s clear that there is a gulf in class between the strikers for the teams competing for the title this season.
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Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, he said: “Gyokeres has come in and I look at him, and he’s you know, I don’t want to be rude, but he’s not in the same league as Erling Haaland. He was given the penalty yesterday wasn’t he, to try and get him scoring after his recent injury…”
Alan Shearer pitched in and said: “I like that, though. I like that he had the balls to get up and take it.” Before Lineker added: “I mean I like that he took it and it was a decent penalty which he scored, obviously. But I didn’t like the fact that Saka didn’t take it cause that was the only bad thing in my fantasy team.”
“I was pleased for him because it would’ve been easy to say ‘nah, you take it Saka’, or whoever,” Shearer then said in a more positive spin on the striker. “But I like that in someone where you’re prepared to put your neck on the line basically because you haven’t scored for a while.
“It was people talking, there’s a bit of noise going on and it’s ‘no, give me the penalty’. And I thought the way he stuck it away was brilliant.”
In the end, Gyokeres’ penalty was the deciding factor, as the one-goal margin was just enough for Arsenal to take all three points. Perhaps it should’ve been more comfortable in the end, with the Gunners missing several opportunities to wrap up the win earlier in the match.
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Gyokeres has now scored five Premier League goals, with seven in all competitions for his side, as he still settles into life in north London. Speaking after the win over Everton, he told reporters: “Good, of course. It was a tough win away from home, but we took the three points and it was nice to score a goal.
“We spoke a little bit on the pitch [about who takes the penalty]. It was an easy talk and then I took it. To be fair, a few months ago I took one, and it was nice to take one again and to score. We don’t think about it too much, we just wait for the decision. Then you know it’s a penalty and you just wait for the normal procedure. Nothing special, really.”
While many believed a striker could be the difference between Arsenal winning the league and missing out, it has taken some adjustment so far for all parties. There are question marks over whether Arteta will persist with Gyokeres in the months ahead, with his striker options improving in depth.
Gabriel Jesus has returned after an ACL injury, with the forward being eased back into action so far this season. In the cameos that the Brazilian has had, there have been some impressive moments, showing he clearly has something to provide to this team this season.
Beyond him, there is Kai Havertz, who has missed almost all of the season through his own knee injury, albeit not quite as severe. The German international is closing in on a return in the new year, meaning there will be three strong options for Arteta to call upon, all with varying profiles – in addition to Mikel Merino, who has deputised up front in the absence of all three attackers.
