It might seem harsh to keep on digging out Viktor Gyokeres but looking at what some Premier League rivals have managed to do, there’s an element of fairness as well.
Arsenal splashed out north of £63m to land Gyokeres in the summer after a superb season with Sporting Lisbon saw him become one of the most sought after strikers in Europe.
However, just five Premier League goals and another two in Europe have brought questions the way of Gyokeres and Mikel Arteta.
Fill in the blank: Arsenal are a ___________________ team when Viktor Gyokeres starts…
Is the Swede making Mikel Arteta's team better or worse?
The Swede did his bit this weekend as the Gunners saw off Bournemouth but overall, it’s been a half-season of disappointment so far.
Indeed, that disappointment can be heightened when you look across the Premier League at Brentford and their star striker, Igor Thiago.
Brentford’s Igor Thiago is embarrassing for Arsenal
Thiago netted a hat-trick for Brentford this weekend and while that trio of goals puts him in the limelight, there are more reasons to talk him up.
When you look at Thiago and what he has compared to Gyokeres, it does feel like Arsenal have missed a trick.
Firstly, the Bees paid less than half what Arsenal did to land Gyokeres and a season after splashing that money, he’s already looking like the latest Brentford signing who will bring profit.
Further, Thiago has netted 14 goals this season, nine more than Gyokeres in the Premier League and the ease in which he seems to finish his chances and bring others into play is something that Arsenal will look on at with envy.
Another bonus for Thiago is that he is still only 24. In normal terms, that means he very much has his prime years ahead of him while at 27, Gyokeres is at the age where he should be hitting his peak.
Should the Brazilian carry on at the rate of knots he is right now, then expect Thiago’s name to be one of the most mentioned come the summer and the ‘big six’.
- READ MORE: Arsenal fans react as Chelsea shock Man City to hand six point title cushion to the Gunners
Arsenal demands instant success for Viktor Gyokeres
In the fairness of balance, it is worth noting that a striker like Gyokeres is expected to hit the ground running and deliver instant success.
In a way, with Arsenal sitting top of the table, he might argue that he has been a success.
Change my mind: Gabriel Magalhaes ends his Arsenal career with 40+ goals.
Another defence of Gyokeres is similar, in that Thiago does get that time to develop at Brentford and the pressure to deliver success and trophies is not as high.
Nevertheless, there is still time for Gyokeres to produce. And if come the end of the season he’s added a few more goals and Arsenal win the title, then all the criticism will go away.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
