Paul Merson names the striker Viktor Gyokeres reminded him of against Fulham

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Viktor Gyokeres put in his best performance of the season for Arsenal against Fulham.

The Swedish striker scored twice and assisted once as the Gunners won 3-0 at the Emirates on Saturday.

As you can imagine, Viktor Gyokeres got his due praise after the game.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Paul Merson did not just praise Viktor Gyokeres after his performance against Fulham, he made a comparison that should excite Arsenal fans.

Paul Merson compares Viktor Gyokeres to Erling Haaland

Merson was so impressed by Gyokeres against Fulham that he went as far as to compare him to Erling Haaland.

The pundit actually claimed it was the best he’s seen Gyokeres play.

“It was the best I’ve seen him play. It reminded me of Haaland today – he went up against Anderson, he won free kicks,” Merson said.

Merson has criticised Gyokeres previously, but he was impressed here.

Haaland is widely regarded as the benchmark for modern strikers. His physical presence, movement, and ability to dominate defenders have set him apart in the Premier League. For Merson to see those same traits in Gyokeres, even in one game, highlights just how impactful the performance was.

Gyokeres did score twice and register an assist, but Merson’s point focused on how he handled himself against defenders. He was aggressive, constantly engaged, and made life uncomfortable for Fulham’s back line. That is exactly what Haaland does at his best.

Merson also praised Gyokeres for how confident he looked.

“The prime example for me was the Saka goal, it showed what confidence he’s playing with,” Merson added.

When a forward believes in their game, they take risks, demand the ball, and commit fully to their actions. Against Fulham, Gyokeres looked like a player who trusted himself, and that belief translated into his overall performance.

“I thought the players trusted him a lot more, they were passing it into him and he looked more confident.”

Confident isn’t an adjective we’ve often been able to use to describe Viktor Gyokeres this season, but against Fulham, for the first time in a while, he didn’t look a player who was playing with weight on his shoulders.