It's tricky because you should be able to do it on paper. I generally agree with you, though. You need ball-carrying ability from deeper positions and long-range passing. Saka, for example, should be able to do it, but if you look closely, it's not really what he really likes to do. Rice could also do it, but not with Zubimendi next to him. Odegaard is not that type of play-maker, either (just like Bruno would probably find it more difficult in your highly structured attack in the final third). Perhaps, it's something that will work in a couple of seasons with the right adjustments. It just feels a weird choice after working so hard to become the exact opposite of that.
Viktor Gyökeres - Arsenal Player
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It's tricky because you should be able to do it on paper. I generally agree with you, though. You need ball-carrying ability from deeper positions and long-range passing. Saka, for example, should be able to do it, but if you look closely, it's not really what he really likes to do. Rice could also do it, but not with Zubimendi next to him. Odegaard is not that type of play-maker, either (just like Bruno would probably find it more difficult in your highly structured attack in the final third). Perhaps, it's something that will work in a couple of seasons with the right adjustments. It just feels a weird choice after working so hard to become the exact opposite of that.
He's actually getting worse rather than better.
I think Berta was known to flip transfers quite quick at Atletico when it was evident they weren't working. I wonder if he'll be tempted to do likewise for Gyokeres this summer.
I think Berta was known to flip transfers quite quick at Atletico when it was evident they weren't working. I wonder if he'll be tempted to do likewise for Gyokeres this summer.
How can you flip a 28-year old after a campaign that looks like it’ll be alarmingly bad? Once you have a Havertz back, he’s going to get hardly any minutes of value, tanking his value further. Besides that, where’s he going to go? Outside of the PL, you’ll be lucky to get a third of your money back.
I can see a loan to serie a next season
Obviously it would be at a loss, and it would be how much of a loss we were willing to make, unless Saudi comes back in and he actually considers it this time.
He was £55M initially and I believe he'll probably have achieved £2M-£3M of the add ons by the end of the season, but his 'book value' will now be 1 year less of course.
I don't think Arsenal would even attempt it after just 12 months, we don't really operate like that, I was just wondering with Berta's history if it's something he'd want to do.
A lot of reserve Prem strikers must be strongly considering a move to the Portuguese league.
A sale at a small loss to Saudi Arabia, a sale at a substantial loss to a Turkish club, or a loan to Italy that covers the wages are the realistic possibilities.
I think one of those will happen next summer and we'll just take the hit and move on. The club is in very good financial shape in general and can afford this kind of misfire. The real issue would be compounding the mistake by trying to make it work with a player that just doesn't have the attributes.
Arteta is saying very supportive things right now because he can't do much else, but I'm confident he will be ruthless here eventually as he has been with pretty much every player obviously not good enough.
I don’t think you’re going to get interest from Saudi if he continues to be this bad - they are not known for picking up failed players for solid amounts of money.
The worst thing that has happened with this move is the enormous loss of mystique. Prior, he was a could he/couldn’t he enigma who had an arrogance and aloofness that people dialled into. He’s been turned into a meme since and all that ‘aura’ is up in smoke. He’s got quite a rebuild on his reputation to do if this transfer ends as it has begun.
On another note, have you lost the faith in him, or can he turn it around? Does he have enough to his game for you to believe this is a blip and simple loss of form during an adjustment period?
I disagree and don't think it has anything to do with mystique, its just a question of level. He's been absolute crap once put into the highest level of competition but Saudi Arabia isn't that. What he showed at Sporting that he can score for fun against poor sides and physically less capable defenders...which is exactly what you find in the Saudi League. He's a much better bet to rip it up there than somebody like Ivan Toney, who was a better PL striker than Gyokeres but never showed the ability to dominate weaker players to the same degree.
Yeah but they buy names to excite the crowds, rather than to simply get the job done, because of course him being a terror in Portugal and then taking chunks out of SA football is logical, but without the selling point of being a PL performer, I really don’t think they’d be interested.
They paid Liverpool a solid fee for Nunez
They could probably give Arsenal a solid fee for Gyokeres.
With Igor Thiago coming in for stupid money is.my prediction
Nunez was amazing if compared to Gyökeres. Massive gulf between them. If Nunez didn’t have the shooting accuracy of a drunk sailor, he’d still be in the PL.
Toney, Mitrovic, Retegui...they have bought plenty of strikers with far less profile than Gyokeres.
Not everybody lives inside the EPL social media hype machine where what you've done in England is the ultimate judgement on you as a player and nothing else really matters. For most Saudis, Gyokeres is likely a guy that led Europe in scoring then didn't work out at the very highest level, certainly a much more exciting name to arrive than the three I just mentioned.
My biggest worry is that Gyokeres won't want to go there, as its tantamount to admitting failure. But if he is open to the move then I'd bet there will be interest.
Nunez was still good, even with his wayward shooting. Scored a decent amount of goals, ran all day and was much younger with upside to improve. It is a shame he is Pool affiliated as I think he would do well at United given his speed/aggression.
Gyokeres has been exactly how most of the caf said he would be I feel? Big unit whose game is based on being bigger/faster/stronger than players in Portugal comes to the PL and finds it much harder.
The fact that there is even a conversation around shipping him off to Saudi 5 months after signing him is crazy.
The bigger problem, that premier league clubs face, is wages. They could probably find someone to pay £25-35m for him next summer, but there’s no one bar Saudi that’d pay that and £200k wages.
Is he a PL player?
Best contribution was some defensive work in his own half. Hooked inside 55(?) min.
Best contribution was some defensive work in his own half. Hooked inside 55(?) min.
Plays like he’s wearing jeans two sizes too small.
While wearing Clogs.
They are lucky City are so diminished because Arteta sticking with him could lose them the title in a different season.
Can't believe this absolute melt will win a league title 
People used to laugh at Giroud, but Giroud is Zlatan compared to Gyokores.
People used to laugh at Giroud, but Giroud is Zlatan compared to Gyokores.
Nah. Brighton were right about him.
I don't think so. He lacks pace, strength and has no real technique to speak of that might compensate for that to some degree.
At this stage I’d say he plays like he’s wearing dungarees that are too small.
Poorest first team forward to potentially win a PL title?
I'm just thankful we didn't get him in the summer.
He'd probably have zero goals for us by now.
He'd probably have zero goals for us by now.
Makes Antony look value for money
Can’t imagine how I would have felt if we bought him and discovered he was Hojlund 2.0
Quality control
Whiff of Quasimodo when he runs innit.
Their defence is genuinely world class as a unit.
Worst signing of the year so far.
I thought this, but Arteta looks like he's genuinely trying to make it work. Which worries me.
We need very few additions to this squad in the summer. My preference, like yours, would be to cut our losses and go big on a striker.
That can't be true though. The Athletic at the start of the season Had Sesko down as the worst signing
I wonder if there are any stats on Arsenal's goals from open play when he starts vs when he doesn't.
Felt like they were scoring for fun while he was injured, and now they're back to maybe nicking goals from corners again if they're lucky.
Felt like they were scoring for fun while he was injured, and now they're back to maybe nicking goals from corners again if they're lucky.
Eze had a decent run too, but now Mr Hair Flick seems to start regardless of how he plays.
Only player I'm thinking of as a possible rival is Okazaki when Leicester won it.
To be fair to him he was an effective nuisance at times, and worked hard but he didn't have a lot of quality. Arguably had more impact than Gyokeres from being a pest. 5 goals 0 assists in 28 starts and 36 appearances. Subbed off in 25 of 28 of those starts.
Makes Darwin Nunez look like a good signing
Imagine how insanely dominant the PL would be compared to every other league if this kind of thing happened less often.
He even kind of looks like Stephane Guivarc'h.
Didn't arsenal play better when Gyokeres was out injured and Merino was centre forward? Also what's with hardly giving Eze any game time? It's strange