A Gyok and a hard place

Former Gunners captain William Gallas believes incoming Arsenal striker may struggle to adapt to the Premier League.

As Arsenal edge closer to capturing the number 9 that fans and pundits believe could be the missing piece in Mikel Arteta’s puzzle, former Gunner William Gallas has sent his old club a word of warning about incoming Swedish hitman Viktor Gyokeres.

How close is the signing of Viktor Gyokeres?

Arsenal are dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on a blockbuster transfer that cost last season’s runners-up €80m with add-ons and will see the Sporting Lisbon striker swapping Portugal for the Premier League imminently if reports are to be believed.

The Gunners believe that Gyokeres, who has bagged 68 goals in 66 Liga Portugal games over the last two years, is the best striker on the market, but Gallas thinks that it could take the 27-year-old a season to adapt to the demands of the Premier League.

Ex Gunner William Gallas has his concerns about the signing

“He’s not just making one step up. It’s more like two or three steps, from Sporting to Arsenal right now. He’ll be playing against defenders who are really strong, maybe the strongest. In the first season, he will need to adapt. He’s tall, he’s massive, so I may get attacked for saying this but in Portugal, he had a much bigger advantage on the defenders. He will need to adapt to the Premier League defenders quickly,” Gallas said.

Speaking to Genting Casino, Gallas hinted that Arsenal’s fanbase are running out of patience for the club to land a major trophy and the expectations will be on Gyokeres to help them deliver it.

“There’s a chance that his second year is much stronger than his first year at Arsenal. But Arsenal will not be wanting to wait for a major trophy any longer. And the signing of a striker is seen as that last piece of the puzzle to do exactly that,” he continued.

Gallas concluded by sharing his hope that Gyokeres will be the main that enables Arsenal to take the next step and win some major silverware after securing three consecutive second-place finishes in the Premier League.

“I hope that, if he comes in, he comes in and hits the ground running. We’ve all been waiting for Arsenal to sign a killer. Only time will tell if Gyokeres is an assassin in the Premier League,” he said.