Sweden legend and Dwight Yorke make worrying claim over £64m Arsenal signing Viktor Gyokeres

A Swedish football hero and former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke have revealed their concerns over £64m Arsenal signing Viktor Gyokeres.

Mikel Arteta signed Gyokeres from Portuguese champions Sporting last summer to solve Arsenal’s No. 9 problems and take the team to the next level following three successive second-place finishes.

Gyokeres scored a staggering 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting, helping Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim win back-to-back league titles in Portugal.

Much was expected of Gyokeres following a lengthy transfer saga but the the 27-year-old has had a mixed start to his spell at the Emirates Stadium.

Gyokeres went nine games without a goal earlier in the season before scoring three goals in his last two matches before the November international break.

The Sweden international missed Arsenal’s last two games through injury and remains a doubt ahead of this weekend’s north London derby against Tottenham.

While Gyokeres is currently out injured, former Sweden star Stefan Schwarz fears his compatriot was struggling with his fitness even before his hamstring problem.

Schwarz says ‘heavy’ Gyokeres needs to ‘get a bit lighter’ and is already showing some ‘mental tiredness’ from his big-money move to the Premier League.

‘I believe with Viktor Gyokeres, he’s not fully fit yet,’ Schwarz, who helped Sweden finish third at the 1994 World Cup, told Hajper.

‘As well with the new system, new manager, and new teammates, it takes time to develop the understanding. It’s not just the physical part of it, it’s the mental part as well.

‘Mental tiredness maybe from adapting to a new club, new expectations, and higher expectations from supporters around the whole world.

‘But it’s a good partnership [Gyokeres and Arsenal]. And hopefully it will benefit Sweden for sure and Graham Potter.

‘He’s in a strong team. Arsenal has been fighting for the big titles, so maybe he can help the team to take this big step. But, of course, everyone is a piece of the jigsaw puzzle. 

‘So everyone is important, but of course, he has a big presence. He’s a strong, physical guy, and a good finisher with both feet.

‘However, he needs to get his fitness up. I think he’s in the right team with Mikel Arteta and the players around him. It’s a fantastic squad.

‘The quality shown by the players on the bench and the options that Arsenal have means that Gyokeres won’t play all the games because I think they have a lot of good options to make tactical decisions from time to time based on the opponent or the result during the games.

‘The players in the Premier League are more powerful and faster than in other leagues.

‘The strikers will always be counted on for the goals that they are scoring. Hopefully, he’ll start to create and score goals, have a good run, get that real boost, and get a bit lighter because he’s a heavy player. I think that would help.

‘He didn’t have a proper pre-season, and you need to play the games. You have those six weeks to interact with your colleagues, to understand the movement.

‘When the midfielder makes the pass, you just have to look in their eyes, you know where they’ll pass it.

‘That’s a relationship that takes a bit of time, and football is about fine margins. Look at Dennis Bergkamp, he was the best at that.

‘Viktor Gyokeres will learn and score a lot of goals, and that will benefit Arsenal.’

Manchester United legend Yorke, meanwhile, has seen enough of Gyokeres at Arsenalto believe he is ‘not world class’.

Yorke still expects Gyokeres to produce some decent numbers in north London, however, due to fact Arsenal often ‘dominant games’.

‘Gyokeres is just what Arsenal needed,’ he told Snabbare. ‘They needed a centre-forward and they’ve got someone who can score goals, even if he’s untested at this level.

‘He’s had a decent start. He’s a very good player but he’s not world class. I like to see my centre-forwards a little bit more exciting than what he offers but the game has changed so he’ll do well at Arsenal because they dominate games.

‘The Premier League is not like other leagues around the world. It’s not as easy as the Portuguese league.

‘He’s got to have a big personality to walk in, like I did at United, and not feel like any of the other guys are better than you.

‘It’s simple. Once we got out on the pitch, I needed to show them I could play. It’s not arrogance. It’s confidence in your abilities.

‘The expectation is on you as a striker. I don’t use the word pressure because you’re playing a game you know how to play. You’re not doing something you don’t know what to do.

‘That was always my mindset and if Gyokeres has that approach then I have a lot of admiration for him. If he ends up being just another player in the Arsenal squad, he’ll end up being average.’

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