They never pass to him” – Paul Merson names Arsenal star who is not trusted by his teammates
Paul Merson has said Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres is not trusted by his teammates, claiming they hardly pass the ball to him.
Joining the Gunners last summer as Europe’s most prolific goalscorer (54 goals in 52 games), Gyökeres has struggled to replicate the form that attracted him to the north London club. So far, he has scored 11 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions and has often been criticized for failing to live up to his billing.
Discussing the problem with modern football, Merson asserted that Arsenal players do not have faith in Gyökeres, suggesting that the former Sporting CP man is not good enough.
“Arsenal don’t trust him,” Merson told The Overlap. “The players, they never pass to him. You watch him, the next time he comes short, [the others] go, ‘No.’ That’s what I see when I watch the game. He comes short and they don’t give him it. He makes some good runs as well. Sometimes just put it in the channel for him to give it a run. He’s low at the moment, and I don’t think they trust him at all.”
Merson’s claims mirror Jamie Redknapp’s suggestions on why he feels Gyökeres has been struggling at the Emirates. During his punditry duties on Sky Sports in January, Redknapp said Gyökeres’ ‘main problem’ at Arsenal is largely down to the type of services he receives, rather than his abilities as a striker.
Frank Leboeuf leaps to Gyökeres’ defense, blames Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for striker’s struggles
Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf has suggested that Gyökeres could be struggling at Arsenal because Mikel Arteta’s tactics do not suit his style of play. He, however, admitted that the striker has endured a difficult time since joining the Gunners.
“Nobody can contest that Gyökeres is having a hard time since he signed,” Leboeuf told ESPN. “But what about the two others [Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus]? Since when they’ve been very good to make the comparison. I think Gyökeres has been recruited because of the lack of good things from the two others. For me, they have a problem because of the way they play and Arteta is responsible for that. Maybe not the players, but the way the tactics of Arteta is put down because that doesn’t suit any striker and if Haaland [Erling] was there, maybe he would have the same problem.”
After enduring a period of goal drought, Gyökeres seems to be starting to find his footing, finding the net in each of the club’s last two games.
