Viktor Gyokeres is yet to set the world alight since his move to Arsenal – but Theo Walcott believes he might be the missing ingredient for Mikel Arteta’s side on this season’s Champions League.
Gyokeres made a positive start for Arsenal following his £64 million move from Sporting in the summertime transfer window with three goals in his first 4 Premier League games.
Nevertheless, the 27-year-old has not found the web 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, might be a difference maker for Arsenal in Europe, and help them improve upon their run to the semi-finals last day out.
Get personalised updates on Arsenal on a regular basis
Get up to search out news in your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Enroll to our newsletter after which select your team within the link we’ll send you so we are able to get football news tailored to you.
‘I feel like that’s where he stood out last yr,’ the previous Arsenal forward said. ‘I believe that’s the difference Arsenal needed was that different type of striker.
‘They’ve Havertz who would love to occupy that No10 position, but they’ve 4 or five, even possibly six players at times who’d prefer to occupy that No10 position.
‘Gyokeres ain’t going to do this in any respect. He’s quite comfortable not even touching the ball at times. He’s quite comfortable because he feels involved when he’s having a little bit of a push and shove with a centre half.
‘But I’ve been comfortable with what I’ve seen. Quite a lot of people spoke about him not scoring quite a lot of goals. But, for me, he’s creating havoc, he’s creating probabilities for other people and he’s getting the perfect out of other players.
‘I believe it’s just that the Premier League is different. I believe the Champions League is where Arsenal want to attain, and he could well be the difference in only occupying defences otherwise.
‘I believe the Champions League, as well, is where the games may develop into a bit more open for him. You place him within the starting line-up against PSG, and he probably gets a pair because he’s in those positions.’
Gyokeres will get the prospect to finish his mini goal drought when Arsenal host Atletico Madrid within the Champions League on Tuesday.
Diego Simeone’s side romped to a 5-1 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt last day out in Europe, but Walcott is expecting the Spanish giants to establish far in another way on the Emirates.
‘We’ve all watched Atletico, we all know what to anticipate from them, they’re solid, they’ll frustrate, they’ll be very tidy at set pieces, there’s not many weaknesses of their defensive structure,’ he added.
‘It’ll be interesting to see if Arteta allows them to have the ball so much more and possibly sit back from them, after which it will be a little 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 essential,’ he added. ‘If it’s not working you possibly can try something different because they’ve those options, and he has that trust as well.
‘I don’t think he had the trust of his bench before. So I believe that’s where it’s going to return right down to with the substitutes, and I believe Atletico, their depth isn’t as strong as Arsenal, so I believe in time they’ll get a result, however it’ll just be tight. I’m not expecting many goals.’
Prime Video’s coverage of Arsenal vs Atlético Madrid is offered at no additional cost for Prime members.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the newest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Free agent striker training with Arsenal ahead of Atletico Madrid clash
MORE: Jamie Carragher tells Liverpool easy methods to stop Arsenal winning the Premier League
MORE: Arsenal can bank one other Champions League clean sheet against Atletico Madrid