Ben Foster believes that one of Arsenal’s key summer signings does not suit the way that Mikel Arteta wants to set his side up.
The Gunners entered the international break top of the pile in the Premier League after a solid start to Arteta’s fifth full season in charge at the Emirates.
And with Liverpool not looking their best after a summer of change, many believe that this season might represent Arsenal’s best chance to end their long wait for a league title.
Arsenal, themselves, spent heavily in the summer, too, splashing almost £300million on eight new players to strengthen Arteta’s squad even further.
Martin Zubimendi has slotted right into the heart of the Gunners’ midfield, while Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze have given the north London side genuine strength and depth in attacking positions.
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Up front, Arsenal also got their man, bringing in Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon after spending much of last season without a natural goalscorer leading the line.
The Swedish striker did score three goals in his first four league games, but has not convinced everyone, especially after failing to score in his last six club outings in all competitions.
And while confident that Gyokeres’ ability will see him find the net again before too long, Foster is still uncertain as to whether the 27-year-old is the right fit for this Arsenal side.
‘Gyokeres, right, I like him and he scores goals and I think he will always score goals, but I think the eye test tells you he’s not necessarily that silky player, is he?’ Foster said on The Fozcast.
‘He is that player who just likes to play on shoulders. He makes good runs into the box, but Arsenal aren’t that sort of team, are they?
‘They haven’t been that team for a long while.’
Jermaine Jenas is another who fills similarly, with the former Tottenham midfielder suggesting Gyokeres ‘stands out like a sore thumb’ in the Gunners’ side.
‘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 return to action after the international break with a visit to Craven Cottage to face Fulham.
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