Jason Cundy thinks Arsenal have a player who isn’t as good as the general perception around him would suggest.
The Gunners have an exceptional squad stacked with quality players, although they’ve been unable to win a major piece of silverware in recent years.
Andrea Berta has spent £250 million this summer in an attempt to provide Mikel Arteta with a squad that can lead the North Londoners to the biggest prizes in club football.
The likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze will improve what was already an outstanding assortment of players at Arteta’s disposal.
Jason Cundy thinks Viktor Gyokeres is a ‘myth’
Arsenal signed Gyokeres for £63 million from Sporting CP earlier this summer.
The Swede scored twice against Leeds at the Emirates, after having disappointed against Manchester United and before underwhelming against Liverpool.
The 27-year-old needs time to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League, while his teammates need time to adapt to him.
However, many aren’t prepared to give him this time and are already casting judgment.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Jamie O’Hara and Jason Cundy slammed Gyokeres, with the former saying he’s not convinced by the striker and the latter describing him as a ‘myth’.
“I’m not convinced with Gyokeres, you know,” O’Hara said.
“Not sure I’m having him. I’m not sure I’m having him. I mean, he looks a bit stiff. Maybe he needs to get up to speed. I think Arsenal fans are going to give him some time, he hasn’t had a proper pre-season.”
“The Gyokness monster as he’s been named in the office,” Cundy responded.
“Viktor the Gyokness monster, that’s what we’re going to call him. Lochness monster is a bit of a myth, and the Gyokeness monster is a bit of a myth. Viktor the Gyokness monster.
“I’m just throwing it out there. Look, apparently he’s in there, in the loch, apparently he’s on the pitch. Mate, he honestly was running around like a table, wasn’t he? The movement of a big table, a big old ten-seater.”
Viktor Gyokeres should be judged when he has Arsenal’s best team around him
Against United, Gyokeres was operating with an out-of-sorts Gabriel Martinelli and in a dysfunctional Arsenal side.
Meanwhile, against Liverpool, he also had an even more below-par Martinelli to the left of him, as well as a midfield lacking a creative player and no Bukayo Saka.
In the Leeds clash, he had more of a settled side around him and found the back of the net twice.
When deployed around other excellent players, he should perform, with the likes of Martin Odegaard, Saka and Eze likely to create the volume of chances for him to score a sufficient number of goals.
If he still isn’t performing when he has Arsenal’s best team around him, then question marks should be raised, but for now, judgment should be reserved.
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