Liverpool hero Vladimir Smicer believes Arsenal ‘may need won the Premier League already’ had they signed a £26m striker as an alternative of Viktor Gyokeres.
Gyokeres has had a mixed first season at Arsenal following his £64m move from Sporting last summer, scoring 17 goals in all competitions.
There was serious concerns over the Sweden international after he netted just five Premier League goals in the primary six months of the season, but Gyokeres has at the very least improved his output since January with 14 goals for club and country.
Doubts remain over Gyokeres’ long-term viability as Arsenal’s first-choice striker, nevertheless, and the Gunners are believed to be concerned about signing a brand new No. 9 this summer.
Mikel Arteta hoped Gyokeres can be the ultimate piece of the jigsaw in an Arsenal team that had finished second within the Premier League for 3 successive season.
Despite the query marks over Gyokeres, he has played a component in taking Arsenal nine points clear at the highest of the Premier League and on the verge of a Champions League semi-final.
But former Liverpool star Smicer believes Arsenal would already virtually be Premier League champions in the event that they had Patrik Schick leading the road as an alternative of Gyokeres.
‘Patrik Schick is a classic goalscorer,’ the Champions League winner told BetVictor. ‘Within the box, he’s very, very clever and he can finish from all angles.
‘His left foot is actually good. Unfortunately for him, he’s suffered quite a bit from muscle injuries.
‘If Schick had joined Arsenal as an alternative of Viktor Gyokeres, I believe they may have won the Premier League title already.
‘With the identical possibilities, he would have scored quite a bit more goals. I’m certain of that because he’s a a lot better finisher. I’d still prefer to see him within the Premier League.’
Schick has scored 97 goals in 203 appearances for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen and 25 goals in 52 caps for Czech Republic.
His most famous goal – an incredible strike from the halfway line – was scored against Scotland in Euro 2020 and voted the Goal of the Tournament and nominated for the Puskas Award.
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The 30-year-old has previously been linked with a move to the Premier League with Manchester United among the many interested clubs last summer.
Arsenal still had an out of doors likelihood of a historic quadruple this time last month but Arteta’s side fell short within the two domestic cup competitions.
A disappointing Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City was followed by a shock FA Cup quarter-final exit by the hands of Championship side Southampton.
Arsenal remain firm favourites to win their first Premier League title since 2004, nevertheless, boasting a nine-point lead over Man City ahead of Saturday’s clash against Bournemouth.
The Gunners even have one foot within the semi-finals of the Champions League after beating Sporting 1-0 in the primary leg of their quarter-final tie in Lisbon.
Smicer is actually not the one pundit to query Gyokeres, together with his former Liverpool teammate Jamie Carragher recently urging Arsenal to sign a brand new striker in the summertime.
Atletico Madrid striker and former Manchester City star Julian Alvarez is believed to be of interest to Arsenal ahead of the summer transfer window.
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