Viktor Gyokeres started for Arsenal against Fulham on Saturday evening, and fans had a lot to say about his performance.
The Swede has faced criticism for his performances thus far in a red and white shirt, failing to find the back of the net in each of his last six appearances before this clash.
Deployed in the front three alongside Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka, Gyokeres struggled to impact the game in the opening 45 minutes.
The former Sporting man’s display may give Mikel Arteta food for thought moving forward, particularly as Kai Havertz is understood to be close to returning from injury.
Arsenal fans react to Viktor Gyokeres’ performance vs Fulham
Arsenal signed Gyokeres for £63 million in the summer.
Netting three times in his first ten appearances for the Gunners, it’s fair to suggest he hasn’t quite hit the ground running.
His credentials as Arteta’s first-choice number nine certainly don’t look any better after what he produced against Fulham on Saturday evening.
The centre-forward was toothless for large periods against the Cottagers, and fans took to social media to express their frustration with the player’s showing.
One fan wrote: “Gyokeres’ technique is atrocious. Like League One level atrocious.”
Another added: “Gyokeres is genuinely always off balance.”
One supporter posited: “[Riccardo] Calafiori might be a better nine than Gyokeres.”
Meanwhile, another fan wrote, bluntly: “Gyokeres is simply not good enough.”
One fan went to further lengths to criticise Gyokeres’ performances. They wrote on X: “Gyokeres at Arsenal is that footballer who, if you watch just a tiny clip of him, you might think he is terrible, but after watching him for the full 90 minutes, you realise you’re absolutely right.”
Viktor Gyokeres needs to be used differently by Mikel Arteta
Gyokeres wasn’t simply a poacher at Sporting.
He was involved in a lot of the Portuguese side’s play, regularly peeling out wide and trying to beat people through dribbling or combining with teammates.
Thus far at Arsenal, Arteta has tasked him with being merely a penalty box poacher who waits for the ball to enter the danger areas before coming alive.
This is a poor use of the 27-year-old’s skillset, as he is much more than just this. If the Spaniard wants to elicit more from the new number nine, he’s got to instruct him to try and involve himself in play more frequently.
Otherwise, he’s not going to succeed in North London.
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