Viktor Gyokeres has been a topic of debate among Arsenal fans since his arrival.
While the Gunners had been linked to a number of strikers around Europe, Andrea Berta eventually settled on the Swedish forward, despite what turned into a challenging set of talks with Sporting CP.
The early months weren’t easy for Gyokeres, and an injury only added to his struggles. But recently, he’s started to show signs of settling in.
Roy Keane was one of the few voices backing him from the beginning and hasn’t changed his stance since.
Roy Keane’s early backing of Viktor Gyokeres looks spot on
Early in his Arsenal career, there was plenty of debate about whether Viktor Gyokeres was the right fit for the club.
The Sweden international didn’t do much in his debut against Manchester United on the opening day of the new Premier League season, but he scored a brace in the very next fixture.
Not long after that, Keane said he believed Gyokeres would be a success at Arsenal, a view that wasn’t widely shared at the time.
But five months later, Gyokeres has 13 goals in 32 games – more than both Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp managed at the same stage of their careers with the Gunners.
That tally puts him on pace for around 20 goals this season, matching what Keane predicted earlier in the year.
The former Manchester United captain was asked again this week about his thoughts on Gyokeres and stood by his initial comments.
Speaking on The Overlap podcast, he said: “I’m going to say he’s doing what he’s supposed to do with Arsenal. I think a hit, by the end of the season, the goals he’ll get. I’m going to give him a hit.”
Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and even Ian Wright were more cautious though with their assessment. They put Gyokeres into ‘maybe’ category rather than calling him an outright hit so far.
Viktor Gyokeres closing in on rare milestone at Arsenal
It’s not often a new striker comes in and makes an immediate impact in English football, but Viktor Gyokeres is finding his form at Arsenal.
Since the start of the Premier League era, only two players have managed to score more than 20 goals for Arsenal in their first season.
Ian Wright was the first to achieve it back in 1991/92, finishing with 26 goals. Alexis Sanchez followed over two decades later, reaching 25 goals during his debut campaign.
Gyokeres has already found the net 13 times this season and with at least 17 games left to play, there’s every chance he’ll add plenty more before it’s over.
If he manages seven or more between now and the final whistle of the season, he’ll join Wright and Sanchez as just the third player to reach that mark for Arsenal in their debut year. It would be quite an achievement.
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