Martin Keown sends message to Mikel Arteta with joke about Arsenal transfer target | OneFootball

Arsenal legend Martin Keown has commented on the Gunners’ need for a new striker, but has suggested one high-profile target would not be the answer.

Speaking to the Oxford Mail, former Arsenal defender Keown discussed the links with Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres, but raised one concern.

Although the Sweden international has been on fire for Sporting this season, scoring 26 goals in just 24 games in all competitions so far, but Keown is concerned that he isn’t pacey enough.

Keown even joked that he didn’t think Gyokeres would have been pacey enough for when he was still playing!

Arsenal legend unsure about Viktor Gyokeres

Viktor Gyokeres applauds the Sporting Lisbon fans (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

“(Gyokeres) is not quick enough and he wouldn’t have been quick enough in my day.”

Still, he also made it clear that a new signing up front looks necessary, saying: “The players who are there at the moment need to start scoring goals fast don’t they otherwise Mikel will put his hands in his pocket and buy a forward.”

Gyokeres to Arsenal would surely be a popular January move for a lot fans as it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t continue to score at a prolific rate in this team, but perhaps Keown is right that there are better alternatives out there.

One concern with Gyokeres, aside from his pace, could be that he hasn’t yet proven himself in any of the Europe’s big five leagues.

The 26-year-old has done extremely well at Sporting, but before that he was playing in the Championship with Coventry City, so making the step up to the Premier League would really be a step into unknown territory.

Arsenal might do better to consider players more proven at this level, such as Alexander Isak, or else a talented young player like Benjamin Sesko, who is young enough to still develop and fine-tune his game to become an elite-level forward.