Troy Deeney fears Mikel Arteta is on the verge of giving up on Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres.
The Sweden international joined the Gunners 12 months ago and was expected to end their search for the lethal centre forward they had been missing since the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Gyokeres amassed a respectable 22 goals in all competitions over the course of his debut season in English football but failed to fully win the faith of his manager who was reported to have wanted to sign Benjamin Sesko instead.
Kai Havertz’s return to form and fitness has seen him firmly usurp Gyokeres as Arteta’s go-to centre forward at the start of the current campaign.
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Indeed, the 28-year-old was an unused substitute in the first two Premier League games of the season before Sunday’s error-strewn cameo against Chelsea.
‘Watch his highlights (against Chelsea), wow,’a disbelieving Deeney told Paramount Plus. ‘It’s like a horse trying to control a ball.
‘It’s a limitation problem. This guy gets credit for running the channels, so many times the ball comes up to him and bounces off him.
‘So many times when they’ve got a counter-attack and he takes a big touch. I see why they tried to replace him.
‘He was brought in to give them that extra option but if I’m a coach now I’ve got Havertz who can link the game and do everything great, I’ve got Merino who can do that.
‘I think Arteta looks at this guy in training and goes ‘what am I supposed to do with that’.
‘He’s 27 or 28 and he’s not going to get tactically much better, he’s not going to get technically much better at this point.
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‘That’s why they were trying to move him on to get Alvarez, that’s why he was linked with everyone else within the deals. He’s got to keep him happy, he’ll have moments in the season.’
While Gyokeres continues to flatter to deceive, Havertz appears to be going from strength to strength and has delighted his manager with his display against Chelsea earning a rave review.
‘He looks happy,’ said Arteta in his post-match press conference. ‘He looks settled, happy, and some great things have happened in his personal life as well. He feels fit, he’s training every day and has this routine right now.
‘He’s scoring goals, but not only that – he’s also doing amazing work for the team.’