Viktor Gyokeres is yet to set the world alight since his move to Arsenal – but Theo Walcott believes he could be the missing ingredient for Mikel Arteta’s side in this season’s Champions League.
Gyokeres made a positive start for Arsenal following his £64 million move from Sporting in the summer transfer window with three goals in his first four Premier League games.
However, the 27-year-old has not found the net in his last seven appearances for Arteta’s side across all competitions.
The Swede did look promising in Arsenal’s last Champions League outing against Olympiacos, providing the assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s opener after shrugging off two opposition defenders.
And Walcott believes the striker, who scored six goals in eight Champions League games for Sporting Lisbon last season, could be a difference maker for Arsenal in Europe, and help them improve upon their run to the semi-finals last time out.
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‘I feel like that’s where he stood out last year,’ the former Arsenal forward said. ‘I think that’s the difference Arsenal needed was that different kind of striker.
‘They have Havertz who would like to occupy that No10 position, but they have four or five, even maybe six players at times who’d like to occupy that No10 position.
‘Gyokeres ain’t going to do that at all. He’s quite happy not even touching the ball at times. He’s quite happy because he feels involved when he’s having a bit of a push and shove with a centre half.
‘But I’ve been happy with what I’ve seen. A lot of people spoke about him not scoring a lot of goals. But, for me, he’s creating havoc, he’s creating chances for other people and he’s getting the best out of other players.
‘I think it’s just that the Premier League is different. I think the Champions League is where Arsenal want to achieve, and he could well be the difference in just occupying defences in a different way.
‘I think the Champions League, as well, is where the games may become a bit more open for him. You put him in the starting line-up against PSG, and he probably gets a couple because he is in those positions.’
Gyokeres will get the chance to end his mini goal drought when Arsenal host Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Diego Simeone’s side romped to a 5-1 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt last time out in Europe, but Walcott is expecting the Spanish giants to set up far differently at the Emirates.
‘We’ve all watched Atletico, we know what to expect from them, they’re solid, they will frustrate, they’ll be very tidy at set pieces, there’s not many weaknesses in their defensive structure,’ he added.
‘It’ll be interesting to see if Arteta allows them to have the ball a lot more and maybe sit back from them, and then it would be a bit of a stalemate.’
But should it prove to be a cagey affair, Walcott believes that Arsenal’s plethora of options off the bench could ultimately prove decisive.
‘That’s where the personnel is key,’ he added. ‘If it’s not working you can try something different because they have those options, and he has that trust as well.
‘I don’t think he had the trust of his bench before. So I think that’s where it’s going to come down to with the substitutes, and I think Atletico, their depth isn’t as strong as Arsenal, so I think in time they’ll get a result, but it’ll just be tight. I’m not expecting many goals.’
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