Ex-England striker Jay Bothroyd claims Arsenal fluffed two opportunities to bring in a ‘perfect’ signing up front before they completed a deal for Viktor Gyokeres last summer.
A host of high-profile names were linked before Arsenal honed in on Gyokeres 12 months ago, with the Swede having shone across two extraordinary seasons with Sporting.
Gyokeres had racked up 97 goals in 102 appearances in all competitions to help Sporting win back-to-back Primeira Liga titles and the Portuguese Cup.
The north London giants would go on to wrap up a £64million deal with Sporting for Gyokeres, seeing off competition from Manchester United to land the former Coventry City centre-forward.
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But the 28-year-old managed only three league goals between August and November at the start of last season and his level of performance drew more and more scrutiny and criticism as the campaign wore on.
Though Gyokeres ultimately got his hands on a Premier League winners’ medal in May, there was incessant speculation throughout the summer transfer window that he could be replaced.
Gyokeres ultimately stayed put as the transfer deadline came and went, but the Sweden international has become something of a peripheral figure, with Mikel Arteta selecting Kai Havertz as a false nine in all of Arsenal’s top-flight matches thus far.
‘Gyokeres was fantastic in Portugal, he was scoring loads of goals and he was beating up the league,’ former Cardiff City and QPR striker Bothroyd told Football Uncensored when asked about Gyokeres’ role at Arsenal.
‘He’s come to the Premier League and, physically, everyone can compete with him.
‘But when I keep hearing, “Oh, he’s playing in between the defenders, he’s occupying people”… Arsenal are too big just to have a player and say: “You’re occupying the centre-backs.”‘
According to Bothroyd, Julian Alvarez – who was heavily linked with Arsenal this summer – is ‘exactly’ the kind of player that Arteta needs as the focal point of his attack.
Looking back further, the former England international, a lifelong fan of Arsenal, felt the Gunners missed out on two ‘perfect’ signings when they were beaten to both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike by Liverpool.
‘When I look at Julian Alvarez, I think he is exactly what Arsenal needed,’ Bothroyd continued.
‘I wanted to get Alexander Isak from Newcastle, I think that was the perfect signing.
‘Then Hugo Ekitike, that was a perfect signing.
‘But I think Alvarez fits exactly what Arsenal need which is a player who can come in between the lines, he can get turned, he can manufacture his own goals, he can play out in wide areas and obviously he can play on the shoulder.’
Bothroyd believes Arsenal’s lacklustre performance in the side’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton at the weekend illustrated perfectly their need for a ‘clinical’ finisher up front.
‘When you look at Arsenal right now, that was a game [Brighton] that Arsenal still could have got a result from even though they played badly,’ he added.
‘Kai Havertz’s chance, a one on one… clinical strikers, predators, will score those goals
‘Even Bukayo Saka, he had a big chance that he could have scored.’
Asked to name his dream Arsenal signing in the January transfer window, Bothroyd replied: ‘Alvarez. We’ve seen that already [that he wants to leave].
‘The only thing is that Atletico Madrid said that they’re not going to be selling him to Barcelona.
‘Does he want to stay at Atletico Madrid where he doesn’t want to be either or does he want to go to one of the biggest clubs in the world where he can win something?’
Arsenal’s setback at Brighton meant Manchester City took a three-point lead into the international break following their thrilling victory over Sunderland.
The English champions will look to get back to winning ways when they return to action at home to Leeds United on October 10.
Arteta’s men did the double over Leeds last season, scoring five unanswered goals at the Emirates before coming away from Elland Road with a 4-0 win.
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