Jermaine Jenas says Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres ‘stands out like a sore thumb’ in Mikel Arteta’s side – but doesn’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing.
Gyokeres has endured a mixed start to life at Arsenal after arriving from Sporting Lisbon over the summer in a £64million deal.
The Swedish striker scored three goals in his first four Premier League games, but has not convinced everyone, especially after failing to score in his last five outings.
The 27-year-old was shut out once again in midweek against Olympiacos, although Gabriel Martinelli’s opener was the result of a shot from Gyokeres which rebounded off the post.
And while admitting that Gyokeres is not an archetypal Arteta player, former Tottenham midfielder Jenas believes that the striker’s different attributes will ultimately serve to benefit Arsenal.
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‘I think I like him. You know what it is, I think the problem with Gyokeres is when you watch him, he stands out like a sore thumb in such a beautiful footballing team,’ Jenas said on the Wilcards Podcast.
‘They all can play: Saliba can play, Timber can play, obviously you have Odegaard and Eze and the wingers and it’s all very flair.
‘And he’s just this robust runner and handful. Even against Newcastle last weekend – he didn’t get his goal, but I am telling you those centre halves knew they were in a game against Gyokeres.
‘When you watch Gyokeres, he makes certain runs and is in certain positions that Arsenal have not had for a number of years, and sometimes, when fans are watching, what they aren’t seeing are all the runs that go unnoticed.
‘So when that ball comes flashing across the box, he’s there for the tap-ins. They’ve not had a tap-in man for as long as I can remember.’
Arsenal’s dramatic win over Newcastle last weekend moved them to within two points of Liverpool after the league leaders lost to Crystal Palace.
And Jenas believes that Gyokeres could well prove the final piece of the puzzle to help the Gunners finally get over the line and win the league.
‘I think he’ll be the difference. I hate to say it, but I think this could be the year for Arsenal and he will be the difference,’ he added.
‘By Christmas, Gyokeres will be different – I do think he will improve game on game. Arsenal have not had what he’s bringing to the table for some time.’
Arsenal will look to make it four wins on the bounce in all competitions against West Ham on Saturday, and Arteta is hopeful that Gyokeres can continue to build on his relationship with Odegaard after the two showed promising signs in midweek.
‘We haven’t seen enough for different circumstances, especially because Martin hasn’t been much available this season for different reasons,’ said Arteta.
‘But, yeah, there is something as well. They have that personal chemistry, and hopefully, with more time on the pitch and more understanding, that will flourish as well.
‘I think you have to create a system and a structure around the qualities of the players. And with our attacking players, especially, we try to do that.
‘Even with our defenders, we know certain qualities that we have in that defensive line, and we will pick certain ways to press or certain ways to defend or force people in relation to where they want to end.
‘And with Martin, it’s very clear that we want the ball in certain areas with him because when he’s able to do that, he’s a real threat.’
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