‘s extremely anticipated Champions League efficiency towards Arsenal has led to a wave of criticism, with many questioning whether or not the Swedish ahead is well worth the hefty €100 million price ticket at present connected to his title.
Regardless of his prolific season thus far — scoring 24 objectives in 20 video games — Gyökeres’s efficiency fell far wanting expectations in Arsenal’s 5-1 demolition of on Tuesday.
This outing has left many questioning if the hype matches actuality for the participant who has been on Arsenal’s radar for a while.
The conflict towards Arsenal supplied and a bunch of European scouts an opportunity to evaluate Gyökeres up shut. Sadly for the 26-year-old, his show was underwhelming at finest.
The closest Gyökeres got here to discovering the again of the online was an effort that struck the publish. The Swedish worldwide struggled to cope with Arsenal’s defensive solidity, discovering himself unable to maintain maintain of the ball or create alternatives towards the formidable pairing of and .
The English press didn’t maintain again of their evaluation, with some shops calling the efficiency a failure. “It was an necessary night time, however he failed the take a look at. He appeared determined for a second that by no means got here,” wrote one outlet, including that Gyökeres merely couldn’t match the “energy and may” of Arsenal’s defence.
One other famous, “To be price €100 million, a participant has to have the ability to overcome each problem. Towards defenders of Gabriel and Saliba’s high quality, Gyökeres fell quick.”
The scrutiny of Gyökeres’s worth has amplified following the match, and his show solely fuelled doubts over his capability to carry out on the highest degree.
Former England defender , talking on TNT Sports activities, echoed these sentiments, arguing that Gyökeres has but to show himself in a high league. “With all due respect to the Portuguese championship, it’s a excellent league, however it isn’t high,” Ferdinand mentioned.
“If he indicators for a Premier League workforce, he should show who he’s. You need to come again and say ‘that is who I’m’.” He famous that Gyökeres’s potential transfer to , the place he may reunite with former coach , may present him with the best circumstances for growth, however added, “He hasn’t had success in a high league but.”
Gyökeres’s latest hat-trick towards had sparked renewed curiosity in his companies from Premier League golf equipment, with Arsenal amongst these reportedly .
Nonetheless, his struggles towards Arsenal have led to a reassessment of his present skills, with the efficiency described by one paper as “short-lived” and indicative of a participant who nonetheless has a lot to show earlier than incomes a blockbuster transfer.
Soccer is fickle.
The expectation had been that Gyökeres would use the match to indicate his capability to step as much as the Premier League degree (a hattrick towards Metropolis not sufficient, apparently), however his incapability to affect the end result or discover the again of the online has thrown his readiness into query.
Amidst the criticism, Gabriel Magalhães’s post-goal celebration added gas to the dialogue, with the Brazilian defender mocking Gyökeres by recreating ‘s notorious celebration, which had riled Arsenal followers in the course of the Europa League spherical of 16 in 2023 by mocking Granit Xhaka’s celebration.
Gabriel’s actions led to a storm of derogatory feedback on social media and , nevertheless it additionally underscored the dominance of Arsenal’s defence over Gyökeres all through the match. .