Pundits question striker’s €100m price tag after poor showing against Arsenal | OneFootball

Viktor Gyökeres‘s highly anticipated Champions League performance against Arsenal has led to a wave of criticism, with many questioning whether the Swedish forward is worth the hefty €100 million price tag currently attached to his name.

Despite his prolific season so far — scoring 24 goals in 20 games — Gyökeres’s performance fell far short of expectations in Arsenal’s 5-1 demolition of Sporting on Tuesday.

This outing has left many wondering if the hype matches reality for the player who has been on Arsenal’s radar for some time.

A Bola, 27 November, 2024 – Gyökeres under fire: The Swedish forward’s performance was heavily criticised in England, with the press noting that hi…

The clash against Arsenal provided Mikel Arteta and a host of European scouts a chance to assess Gyökeres up close. Unfortunately for the 26-year-old, his display was underwhelming at best.

The closest Gyökeres came to finding the back of the net was an effort that struck the post. The Swedish international struggled to deal with Arsenal’s defensive solidity, finding himself unable to keep hold of the ball or create opportunities against the formidable pairing of Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba.

Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images

The English press did not hold back in their assessment, with some outlets calling the performance a failure. “It was an important night, but he failed the test. He seemed desperate for a moment that never came,” wrote one outlet, adding that Gyökeres simply could not match the “strength and might” of Arsenal’s defence.

Another noted, “To be worth €100 million, a player has to be able to overcome every challenge. Against defenders of Gabriel and Saliba’s quality, Gyökeres fell short.”

The scrutiny of Gyökeres’s value has amplified following the match, and his display only fuelled doubts over his ability to perform at the highest level.

Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

Former England defender Rio Ferdinand, speaking on TNT Sports, echoed these sentiments, arguing that Gyökeres has yet to prove himself in a top league. “With all due respect to the Portuguese championship, it is a very good league, but it is not top,” Ferdinand said.

“If he signs for a Premier League team, he will have to prove who he is. You have to come back and say ‘this is who I am’.” He noted that Gyökeres’s potential move to Manchester United, where he could reunite with former coach Ruben Amorim, might provide him with the right conditions for development, but added, “He hasn’t had success in a top league yet.”

Gyökeres’s recent hat-trick against Manchester City had sparked renewed interest in his services from Premier League clubs, with Arsenal among those reportedly interested.

However, his struggles against Arsenal have led to a reassessment of his current abilities, with the performance described by one paper as “short-lived” and indicative of a player who still has much to prove before earning a blockbuster move.

Football is fickle.

The expectation had been that Gyökeres would use the match to show his ability to step up to the Premier League level (a hattrick against City not enough, apparently), but his inability to influence the outcome or find the back of the net has thrown his readiness into question.

Jornal de Noticias, 27 November 2024, Orphans of Amorim

Amidst the criticism, Gabriel Magalhães’s post-goal celebration added fuel to the discussion, with the Brazilian defender mocking Gyökeres by recreating Pedro Gonçalves‘s infamous celebration, which had riled Arsenal fans during the Europa League round of 16 in 2023 by mocking Granit Xhaka’s celebration.

Gabriel’s actions led to a storm of derogatory comments on social media and criticism from an Arsenal legend, but it also underscored the dominance of Arsenal’s defence over Gyökeres throughout the match. The player himself didn’t mind at all.