Viktor Gyokeres Concerns Emerge Despite Arsenal’s 3-0 Win vs Club Brugge

Mikel Arteta’s biggest kryptonite on his journey to proving he can be the manager to fix Arsenal’s trophy drought has been his striking department. And after the Gunners’ 3-0 win over Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday night, it seems everyone is making the same worrying point about Viktor Gyokeres.

The Sweden international was bought for an initial £55 million from Sporting over the summer, with hopes that his record of 54 goals in 52 appearances – which earned him the Gerd Muller Trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony – would ease the attacking burden on Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, and immediately transform Arsenal’s frontline. But already, there is cause for concern.

For those who were skeptical about the fact that he’s 27 and has never played in Europe’s big five leagues, that cynicism has only been vindicated following his performance in Belgium midweek.

Viktor Gyokeres’ Performance in Club Brugge 0-3 Arsenal

Gyokeres played 62 minutes against Club Brugge. But while his wingers – Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke – were involved in all three goals, the Swedish forward largely went invisible. Only one of his three shots hit the target, he missed two big chances, lost possession nine times, and lost both of his aerial duels, despite previously being known for his height and strength.

His movement is clunky, despite supposedly being fast, and it’s difficult to see right now if Gyokeres will ever be the striker Arsenal were hoping for. Signed as his club’s answer to the Erling Haaland debate, the fact that four of his six goals in 18 appearances this season have come against sides in the bottom five at the time doesn’t bode well for him as the difference-maker between Arsenal finishing first rather than second.

There’s a reason Mikel Merino has been deployed in Gyokeres’ position at times, after impressing in it throughout last season. Meanwhile, the performance of Gabriel Jesus – who played just 28 minutes – gives those at Emirates Stadium even more reason to worry.

The Worrying Contrast in Gyokeres’ Performance Compared to Gabriel Jesus

Despite only just returning from an ACL injury that saw him sidelined for 319 days, and the fact he played less than half of the minutes Gyokeres did, Jesus left a greater impression on his supporters. He was able to notch more shots on target from the same amount taken, his passing accuracy was higher, and he won all of his duels. Reacting to his performance, one X user remarked:

A second asked: “When is it safe to admit I’m very worried about Gyokeres?” while a third wrote: “Gabriel Jesus was miles better than Gyokeres, and he’s been out injured like a year. If that’s not a red flag at this point…”

Elsewhere, a fourth concluded: “People saying Arsenal players pass to Jesus but not Gyokeres. Well yeah, because one gets in good positions, knows how to control the ball, keep the attack going and create for others. The other doesn’t. It is not deep.”