Viktor Gyokeres has been getting a lot of stick for his Premier League debut performance.
It’s rather astounding how much criticism Gyokeres has faced, simply for not scoring within 60 minutes of his Premier League career.
Arsenal were incredibly poor against Manchester United, giving Mikel Arteta’s new striker next to no hope of making the difference.
The Gunners’ failure to create chances left Gyokeres stranded, making the criticism directed his way perplexing to say the least.
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Chris Sutton can’t believe the criticism Viktor Gyokeres is getting
From Jamie Carragher saying Gyokeres will be dropped, to others doubting his suitability to Arsenal, the feedback after an hour in the Premier League has been atrocious.
Ian Wright actually texted Gyokeres to offer him support, with the discourse only set to grow as he continues to adapt to life at Arsenal.
One figure who thinks the criticism of the 27-year-old is unfair is Chris Sutton, who spoke about the matter on BBC’s 606 Football Phone In.
“I mean, we can’t start writing him off after one hour of football,” Sutton said.
“I mean, that’s the danger, nowadays, in that you have a sort of indifferent game or indifferent half of a game, and everybody’s already judged them.
“That’s what happens, that’s what has happened with Gyokeres.”
One of the most remarkable pieces of feedback came from Frank Leboeuf, who claimed Arsenal signing Gyokeres was a ‘useless’ move from Andrea Berta, due to the difference in playing style he saw at Old Trafford.
To judge the striker at such a vast degree after such little time is staggering, but it’s nothing Arsenal aren’t used to.
Even Dennis Bergkamp was labelled a flop
If there’s one club that shouldn’t take notice of players being written off too early, it’s Arsenal.
The Gunners have had the last laugh over the years when it comes to transfers, most notably when Bruce Rioch was informed that he’d made a mistake signing Dennis Bergkamp.
Stuart Pearce famously implied that Rioch wasted money by signing Bergkamp, simply because he failed to score in his first six Premier League games.
“Bergy’s a waste of money,” the newspapers said, and now, the Dutchman is cast in bronze outside the Emirates for his contributions to the club.
That’s not to say that Gyokeres will go on to be the next Bergkamp, but it’s a strong example of how premature judgment can turn out for those signing for Arsenal.
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