Troy Deeney makes shock Viktor Gyokeres claim amid Arsenal transfer interest 

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta needs to make signing a striker in the upcoming January transfer window a top priority. 

Not for the first time this season, Arsenal were toothless in the final third as they hosted Everton in a Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners’ 0-0 draw against the Toffees further damaged their Premier League title hopes, just as their lack of a reliable, clinical goalscorer became yet more obvious. 

Arsenal striker Kai Havertz came under fire in the wake of this fixture, whilst Gabriel Jesus’ return of just one goal in his last 33 outings for the Gunners makes it obvious that he is not the solution to any of Mikel Arteta’s attacking problems. 

• READ MORE: Every player linked to and from Arsenal in the summer 2024 transfer window

Troy Deeney makes bold Viktor Gyokeres claim amid Arsenal transfer interest 

Arsenal have been told to sign a striker in January, and one potential target that they have been linked with is Viktor Gyokeres. 

The Sporting star has been in blistering form, and his record of 26 strikes in 24 outings so far this season, across all competitions, suggests that he could be just the player that Arsenal are currently missing. 

However, former Watford target man Troy Deeney is less convinced by the Sweden international. Speaking on talkSPORT, he claimed that the forward, who is also on Liverpool’s radar, would struggle to translate his prolific form from the top flight in Portugal to the Premier League.

He said: “I genuinely think he’s a good footballer, he works really hard, all of that. But I don’t think he’s a natural finisher. And again, everyone is going to pull up his goal record, I get that.

“But I don’t think he takes either of those two to winning the Premier League. That’s just my opinion, and if he did, they’d have already bought him.”

Is Viktor Gyokeres the striker Arsenal need?

Whilst the Premier League is undeniably of a higher standard that the Portuguese divisions, Gyokeres has still been able to dominate in the Champions League this season, having scored 5 times in 6 appearances in the competition, including a memorable hat-trick against Manchester City.

However, Arsenal were able to keep him at bay when they beat Sporting themselves recently, in what may serve as a warning the there is validity to Deeney’s argument.

Ultimately, though, the player’s attributes suggest that he could be a success at the Emirates Stadium, as he offers pace, power, and an eye for goal. Gyokeres could even make Arsenal yet more dangerous at set-pieces.