If Arsenal is trying to achieve what they want to achieve this season, their success appears to be built on the basis of a 2-0 victory.
Mikel Arteta’s team has enjoyed back-to-back wins at that scoreline this week, downing West Ham on Saturday after beating the Olympiacos in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka as scorers.
Hammer didn’t convened a single shot on target, so the afternoon ended with a disastrous xg of just 0.49, but Gunner has now admitted just three goals in 10 matches in all competitions. Dominik Szoboszlai, Erling Braut Håland and Nick Woltemade were the only men who had ever found a target.
So Arteta’s team remains watertight in the back, but expect a little more on the other end of the pitch, so the new centre forward clicks into gear.
Viktor Root ‘Starting a mix of life at Arsenal
Needless to say, after arriving from Portuguese sports for around £62 million, Viktor Gyökeres did so with Sky High’s hopes.
Despite the set of qualities of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal has not had a truly reliable scorer since Pierre Emerick Aubameyang left in January 2022.
Last month, at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, Swedish International was awarded the Geld Muller trophy, given to the best scoring striker in European football, but he still doesn’t look like a red and white world beater.
His statistics below unter his mixed start in North London.
As the table documents, in the nine appearances, Gyökeres has three goals in his name, but more.
Viktor Rooted ‘Arsenal Statistics | |
---|---|
statistics | root |
exterior | 9 |
Min | 733 |
the goal | 3 |
assist | zero |
shot | 18 |
Target shot | 7 |
I missed a big opportunity | 7 |
Expected goals | 3.94 |
Possibility of being created | 6 |
A big opportunity has been created | zero |
Expected assist | 0.5 |
Touches per 90 | 27.15 |
% of touch in box | 26% |
Average Sofa Score Rating | 6.57 |
Statistics via Squawka and Sofascore |
His expected target figure is almost four, but he has so far missed a major opportunity for seven opto definitions in the Premier League and Champions League.
The numbers also show that the strikers offer little from a creative standpoint, attracting just 27 touches per 90, with over a quarter of which are in the opposition’s penalty area.
It takes patience. Gyökeres is taking the time to adapt to his new teammates who are also adapting to him.
But did the gunner sell his own homemade Gyökeres for just £4 million?
Arsenal’s homemade Victor route
In 2021, Arsenal poached an 18-year-old named Mica Vierrez of Fulham.
However, he was prolific in Premier League 2, scoring 11 times in 21 games before being loaned out to RKC Waalwijk and Motherwell, and certainly caught his eye during a very short spell at Fir Park, scoring six goals on Steenmen’s 14-premier outing.
His loans in North Lanarkshire suddenly shortened, allowing him to move first on a loan and then to Stahmgras, who made his name forever for £4 million.
Vierrez scored 23 times in just 47 appearances for Die Schwarzen, averaged goals every 156 minutes, earning a domestic double and three goals on four outings in the Conference League before winning the net against Girona and Lille in the Champions League. As he calls himself in one interview, “Like Haaland, all I really care about is the score.” He also seems to be Gyoker in that respect.
So back in January, Monaco moved quickly and signed the now 22-year-old with a reported fee of 15 million euros (about £13 million).
This immediately seemed like a very wise investment. Because in League One last season, Vierrez scored 13 times in just 16 appearances, bagging hat-tricks against Ausel, Nantes and Rhymes, and firing Les Monegasque into a third-place finish.
As a result of this form, football transfer estimates Denmark’s current international market value is currently around £23 million, with what Arsenal has sold to him up 464%.
The gunners pocketed around £1 million via a sell-on clause when the striker exchanged the Sturm Graz for the Principality, but could have won more if they had given Biereth a chance.
Certainly, he only scored once on target this season when he won METZ 5-2 at Stade Louis II last month, so it’s only time to see whether he’s just a one-season wonder or a short blip.
Nevertheless, considering that Gyökeres hasn’t fired on all cylinders yet, Biereth probably was a more effective option to lead this weapon attack.