^ ^ Ian Wright claims £60million star has solved huge Arsenal problem

Ian Wright has praised Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres after he scored twice against Fulham (Picture: PLP)

Ian Wright has launched a staunch defence of Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres after his man of the match display against Fulham.

The Gunners opened up a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table following a convincing 3-0 win against their London rivals.

Gyokeres scored twice in the first half and also created the opportunity from which Bukayo Saka was able to double his side’s advantage.

After scoring from the penalty spot in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid, the summer signing from Sporting Lisbon appears to be hitting form at just the right time, particularly in light of an injury to Kai Havertz.

Overall, Gyokeres has now scored 21 goals in all competitions and Wright believes his ability to put lesser teams to the sword has helped cure a long-standing problem for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Wright told Premier League Live: ‘People have been saying for many years Arsenal need to get a striker. Then we get the striker and people say he’s not good enough.

‘You have to say 21 goals, obviously 12 in the Premier League, says that he’s done the job for us.

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Viktor Gyokeres opened the scoring for Arsenal against Fulham (Picture: Getty)

‘He did the job for us today and I’m sure against the teams we’ve got coming like West Ham, I think he could probably put in the same kind of performance and probably nick another couple of goals.

‘If he only scores against those kind of teams that’s what Arsenal have always needed.

‘They don’t have problems scoring against the top six, it’s the other teams like the Fulhams and the Wolves and the teams like that we’ve had problems scoring against.

‘He’s come in and he’s kind of solved that problem for us.’

Viktor Gyokeres has scored 21 goals in all competitions for Arsenal this season (Picture: Getty)

Gyokeres’ combination with Saka was a particularly encouraging aspect of a devstating first 45 minutes, particularly given the pair have struggled to form an understanding so far this season.

‘Yes, they haven’t played together much unfortunately because of the injuries that we had, but there are relationships that I really enjoyed today.’

Saka, starting his first game since the Carabao Cup final in March, was substituted at half-time as a precaution but looks as though he will be ready for Atletico on Tuesday.

‘We had to, he played 30-odd minutes in Madrid, now he’s played 45 minutes,’ added Arteta.

‘We need to ramp up his load but we need to be careful because we need him on that pitch.’

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^ ^ Darren Bent predicts Mikel Arteta will drop Arsenal star against Atletico Madrid

Darren Bent claimed Myles Lewis-Skelly gave a top-level performance against Fulham (Picture: PLP)

Darren Bent fears Myles Lewis-Skelly will find himself back on the bench against Atletico Madrid, despite delivering a ’10 out of 10′ performance against Fulham.

The Hale End Academy graduate has found opportunities to come by this season following his stellar breakthrough last term when he excelled as a makeshift left-back.

With a Champions League semi-final second leg on the horizon, Mikel Arteta chose to ring the changes for Saturday’s game against Fulham and gambled by handing Lewis-Skelly a first ever start in his preferred role in the heart of midfield.

The 19-year-old rewarded his manager’s faith with an all-action display but Bent fears it won’t be enough to see him retain his place against Diego Simeone’s side on Wednesday.

‘Zubimendi will probably come back in because he’s the more senior player,’ Bent told Premier League Live.

‘But I think the manager will be looking at his performance today thinking do you know what if a game’s going on against Atletico and it’s not quite working, he’ll have no doubts whatsoever. He knows he’s good enough to play in there, go and play.

I understand Zubimendi’s been outstanding this season, maybe he’s faltered a bit of late.

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Myles Lewis-Skelly impressed Mikel Arteta against Fulham (Picture: Getty)

‘But Myles Lewis-Skelly, that’s not just a normal performance where you go he did OK, he did alright. He is capable of playing there, that was a top level performance.’

‘Bent did, however, suggest that with the games coming thick and fast, Arteta will have seen enough on Saturday to be confident that Lewis-Skelly could yet have a role to play in midfield during the remainder of the run-in.

‘I genuinely think Mikel Arteta will be looking at that thinking if he doesn’t play against Atletico, he could defintely play against West Ham.

‘I think it’s important to have the right players and evironment around him. Putting him alongside the likes of Declan and Eberechi Eze is key.

Myles Lewis-Skelly started in midfield for Arsenal against Fulham (Picture: Getty)

‘I think Declan will always talk to him. He had Mark Nolbe for him when he got in that West Ham team.

‘I think it was the perfect environment, the perfect opposition in terms of a team that wasn’t really going to press, although I thought they’d be better. He was just outstanding today.

‘All the little bits he had to do, breaking up play, passing the ball forwards. That was the key, too often in the last few weeks we’ve seen Arsenal players pass the buck and go backwards.

Darren Bent praised the role Declan Rice played in helping Myles Lewis-Skelly (Picture: Getty)

‘That then allows the team to get back into shape and then it’s hard to break down.

‘The moment Lewis-Skelly got it he was on the half-term then boom, where’s Saka, where’s Eze, where’s Trossard.

‘Then when you’ve beaten that press early Arsenal can play in the areas they want.’

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^ ^ Mikel Arteta sends message to ‘incredible’ Manchester United transfer target

Mikel Arteta was delighted with Arsenal’s performance in their 3-0 win over Fulham (Picture: Getty)

Mikel Arteta hinted he has made a mistake with Myles Lewis-Skelly this season after the Arsenal youngster impressed in his side’s 3-0 win over Fulham.

The Gunners heaped the pressure on Manchester City in the race for the Premier League title by opening up a six-point gap at the top of the table and establishing goal difference advantage.

With the second-leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid finely poised, Arteta opted to make significant changes to his starting line-up on Saturday evening the most notable of which saw Lewis-Skelly make a first start in central midfield.

The Hale End Academy graduate made a stunning breakthrough last season as a makeshift left-back with his performances in that position rewarded with senior England recognition.

It has been a different story this term for the 19-year-old who has been forced to play a bit-part role following the arrival of Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen who has shared the left-back role with Riccardo Calafiori.

Martin Zubimendi’s consistency, meanwhile, has meant Arteta had been hesitant to hand opportunities to Lewis-Skelly in his more natural position until yesterday evening when his gamble was rewarded with an eye-catching display.

And after watching the teenager impress against seasoned Premier League opposition, Arteta admitted he may have made an error in holding back a player whose lack of game time has seen him linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer.

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Myles Lewis-Skelly impressed Mikel Arteta against Fulham (Picture: Getty)

‘He fully deserves it,’ said the Arsenal manager reflecting on Lewis-Skelly’s performance in a new-look engine room. ‘I’ve been tough on him.

‘He had a spectacular season last year when he jumped into the first team. He had some difficult moments after that, but he stayed very humble, very focused, very aligned with what we wanted to do, and I knew he was ready.

‘He’s been showing in training every day the opportunities that he had to play. He’s done it and today he really stepped up and I thought he had an incredible performance.’

Asked why it had taken him so long to give Lewis-Skelly a chance to impress in midfield, he added:’Because probably I don’t have a clue and maybe I should have done it earlier, I don’t know.

Myles Lewis-Skelly started in midfield for Arsenal against Fulham (Picture: Getty)

‘But I have to do things when I believe that the player is ready, the team is ready and the opponent is the right one to play with him in that position. We’ve done it today, it’s the first time.

‘It was a big risk because I knew what was going to happen, if he wasn’t this great, we would have lost the game.

‘How do you play a kid at this age, in this scenario, in a position that he hasn’t played all season? I knew that but I had the feeling that it was the right game for him.’

Reports last month claimed Arsenal were looking to net a combined total of £100million for Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri who has spent the second half of the season out on loan at Marseille.

Viktor Gyokeres scored twice in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Fulham (Picture: Getty)

While there might be a measure of conjecture about his future, Lewis-Skelly hardly gave the impression of a player discontent with life at his current club after he played such a key role in a vital win.

He said: ‘Honestly, I was buzzing. Being back in that midfield, getting the trust from the gaffer and the players again, just allows me to play my game and play it simple but also be effective, which was really good today. 

‘It’s hugely important for me to set that tone. When you’re in midfield, there’s a certain rally you have to attain, which is to set the tone, get the engine of the team going. I thought I did a good job of that today.

‘It’s a credit to all our players because when we’re all on the same wavelength, we’re really feeling it, playing with synergy, playing with that energy together. I feel like we’re one.’

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^ ^ Ray Parlour names Arsenal star who will leave as Gunners consider selling four players

It could be a busy summer at the Emirates (Picture: AMA/Getty Images)

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour believes Gabriel Jesus will choose to leave the club at the end of the season.

The Gunners spent over £250million in last summer’s transfer window with Mikel Arteta assembling perhaps the strongest squad in Europe to end their long wait for silverware.

While competing on four fronts for the majority of the season has ensured plenty of opportunities around the squad, some have struggled for minutes, chiefly academy star Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Recent reports have claimed Arsenal may need to sell at least one first-team player this summer, with Lewis-Skelly at risk alongside Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White and Ethan Nwaneri.

But Parlour also believes Jesus, who has one year left on his contract in north London, could also ask to leave when the season comes to an end.

Should the Brazil international move on, Parlour believes another striker should be on the club’s shopping list this summer.

‘I think Jesus might leave at the end of the season, he is at that age where he wants to be playing week in, week out,’ Parlour told Metro via BetMGM.

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Jesus’ contract with Arsenal expires in the summer of 2027 (Picture: Getty)

‘We could lose him. We had four strikers when I played. That’s what I don’t understand. (Regardless of Jesus leaving), bring in another one anyway. That can give the other options a lift because they see the standard being set.’

The Gunners believed they had ended their long search for a prolific no9 when they signed Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP for £64million last July.

While the Sweden international has scored 19 times in all competitions this season, he has often struggled with the demands of English football.

Arsenal are among the clubs weighing up a move for Argentina international Julian Alvarez, who left Manchester City to join Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2024.

Arsenal considering a move for Alvarez (Picture: Getty)

That deal was overseen by Andrea Berta, now sporting director at the Emirates. Any move would require an offer in excess of €100million (£87m) to even tempt Atletico into doing business.

Parlour, who won three league titles and four FA Cups as a Gunner, is a huge admirer and would back a move for the ‘fantastic’ striker.

Gyokeres has had a mixed season (Picture: Getty)

‘For me, Alvarez would be a great addition to the squad. There will always be people coming and going in the summer because it’s a big squad and they can’t keep everyone happy. But Alvarez would be a fantastic option to have with his pace and what we saw at Man City.

‘It was always going to be difficult for him playing with Erling Haaland there but when he did start and when he did play, he was always lively.

‘He’s a young man too, so if he’s available it’s a yes for me. When know how Arteta likes to work with young players to make them better so I think it would be a great addition, definitely.’

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^ ^ The Rise and Fall of Leicester City - Part 1

Kelly Cates is joined by Wes Morgan, Robert Huth, Marc Albrighton & BBC Sport's Midlands reporter Nick Mashiter to discuss the remarkable rise and dramatic fall of Leicester City. Ten years on from their incredible Premier League title triumph, the former champions will begin next season in the third tier of English football. The panel reflect on the unforgettable 2015–16 campaign that stunned the football world, what went right both on and off the pitch, and how things unravelled in the decade that followed.

04:30 - The 2015 Great Escape 05:50 - Hopes for 2015/16 06:39 – Leicester City's scout Steve Walsh 08:00 – Claudio Ranieri joins 12:10 – Signing N'Golo Kanté 14:20 – Jamie Vardy’s season 19:55 – Going out for pizza 22:30 – Riyad Mahrez 24:40 – Tricky New Year 28:20 – Consistency over January 31:00 – Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal in February 35:00 – Taking motivation from Arsenal loss 36:30 – King Power's ‘Earthquake’ 38:00 – Chance to win the title at Old Trafford 39:10 – Watching Chelsea v Spurs at Vardy's house 42:15 – Title celebrations 49:10 – Betting on Leicester City winning the title at 5000/1 51:40 – Stories from the title win 52:52 – The Foxes in the Champions League