Mikel Arteta has urged fans and the media to support Viktor Gyokeres and refrain from criticism, amidst the scrutiny surrounding the striker’s inconsistent performance at Arsenal so far.
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During the embargoed portion of Mikel Arteta’s pre-Wolves press conference on Friday, the Arsenal manager reflected on the club’s summer acquisition, Viktor Gyokeres, considering his performance thus far and his expectations upon arrival.
“Firstly, there was a lot of excitement because we signed a proven goal scorer with exceptional stats in Europe,” Arteta noted.
“Secondly, adapting to a different league—the most demanding in the world—raises the question of how a player will respond if they go several games without scoring. That was my concern.
“How will they handle a goal drought? Can they endure it, and what impact will this have over the long term? That’s something we need to assess.”
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“The sample size is still very small,” Arteta added. “Let’s allow him the space to perform, support him, and I’m confident things will align positively.
“We’re working with him to understand what areas he needs to improve and what he should focus on within our system to become more effective and find himself in goal-scoring situations.
“He had a couple of significant chances in the last match; placing him in those situations consistently will yield results, as he is extremely determined.”
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Gyokeres has netted six goals for Arsenal thus far, showing promise before his injury in early November. That setback came at a time when he was beginning to find form, and he has yet to score since returning.
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It’s worth noting that the recent match marked his first start since November 1st, so it’s reasonable to expect some rustiness.
However, six goals in 18 appearances (14 starts) falls short of the impressive numbers he achieved in the past two seasons—54 goals in 52 games last year and 43 in 50 the year before.
Gyokeres knows he can achieve more, and Arteta is right to emphasize that the best way forward is by rallying behind the 27-year-old during this challenging phase.