برچسب: Ian

Gunners icon Ian Wright has brushed off concerns over Viktor Gyokeres’ lack of experience in a top league and is giving ARSENAL’s marquee summer signing the ‘benefit of the doubt

The Swedish striker has taken the No.14 shirt at the Emirates, once worn by legend Thierry Henry. Arsenal have signed Gyokeres in a deal worth £63.5million, an initial £54.8m up front, with a further £8.7m in additional clauses.

But there has also been some skepticism surrounding Gyokeres’ ability to make the step up when against defences of genuine quality, with the Sweden international yet to test himself in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

But ex-Arsenal striker Wright has sent a warning to the doubters of Gyokeres, he said:‘I spent five seasons in the First Division scoring goals and obviously there’s a lot of people looking at you all the time. There was a lot of talk around me and a lot of interest,’ Wright explained.

‘People start to say, “It’s going to happen”, and then ARSENAL came. Obviously, everybody knows the link with David Rocastle, we grew up on the same estate.

‘But I remember when I went to sign, I went home and watched the six o’clock news and they flicked to the streets and they’re saying, “What are we signing him for? We’ve got [Paul] Merson, we’ve got [Kevin] Campbell, we’ve got [Alan] Smith and we’ve got a young guy, Andy Cole, there as well. Why are we signing him? He’s only played in the First Division!”, and bro, I was watching it and you just get hot.

‘I was petrified and when I went there. They were champions two out of the last three years, but what I realised more than anything else was I had gone to a place where I’d gone to another level.’

Wright added: ‘I was playing in games, I’d score two goals and I must have had a maximum of five touches because people are making runs, people are doing different things, I’m not making as much work as I did at Palace.

‘What you realise is that it’s the same thing with Gyokeres, it’s the same thing.’

‘I heard Mark Robins from Coventry say that every time Gyokeres trained, he looked like somebody in a rush, in a hurry, he needs to make up time and I totally got that because once I got to Arsenal I realised I was in a place where I could make up time

‘People are talking about the league Gyokeres played in and the fact he doesn’t score against this kind of team, he only scores penalties, this and that… it doesn’t matter.

‘What I’ve heard and what I loved that I heard from Gyokeres is that man wants to be there. I wanted to be there because I knew once I got in amongst these guys and they create these chances, I’m going to take them. All I was focussed on was hitting targets and taking chances.’

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