Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta and striker Victor Gokeres (Picture: Justin Setterfield, Julian Finney/Getty Photos)
Arsenal have to be beginning to remorse signing Victor Gokeres this summer season after he clearly struggled to adapt to the Premier League.
Gökeres achieved nice success along with his former membership Sporting Lisbon, making 102 appearances in two seasons and discovering the again of the online an astonishing 97 instances.
That is why Arsenal paid £64m to signal the Sweden worldwide from Sporting final summer season (charges through BBC Sport). This seems like an thrilling deal, giving Mikel Arteta a extra pure goalscorer than different forwards similar to Kai Havertz or Gabriel Jesus.
Nevertheless, Arsenal will ponder whether this was the appropriate choice, as Gokeres has not made such an excellent efficiency since coming to what’s clearly a much more aggressive league.
Victor Gokeres of Arsenal this season vs. Sporting final season
Even when he’s by no means more likely to rating as many targets at Arsenal as he did with Sporting, Gokeres might want to develop shortly as his numbers to date have been effectively under the membership’s expectations.
Try the important thing stats under on how the 27-year-old has been doing for Arsenal this season, in comparison with how he performed for Sporting final season…
| Victor Gokeres | recreation | the objective | Objectives per recreation |
| 24 hours/25 days sports activities | 52 | 54 | 1.03 |
| Arsenal 25/26 | twenty 4 | 7 | 0.29 |
Spending massive cash on a participant who has by no means performed within the Premier League might be at all times going to be a little bit of of venture, however ought to Arsenal have chosen to go all-in on a participant who has already proven he can play at this degree?
As a result of just some months in the past, that very factor virtually occurred after they tried to signal Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa.
The England worldwide has scored 82 targets in 205 Premier League video games for Villa, and BBC Sport reported in January final 12 months that the Gunners had tried to signal him for £60m.
This is not an enormous distinction when it comes to price, however it’s undoubtedly a a lot safer possibility to provide the AFC the objective risk they want, and it is nonetheless barely much less.
May Ollie Watkins get the job at Arsenal?
Watkins is a key participant on this spectacular Villa aspect, however it’s value noting that his personal type has declined barely this season.
The 30-year-old has scored seven targets in 28 video games in all competitions to date this season, and is unlikely to match final 12 months’s 17, and is nearly sure to fall wanting his 27 targets final 12 months.
Nonetheless, if we have a look at different essential metrics, as within the graph under, we are able to additionally see that Watkins gives a greater all-around play than Gokeres…
There aren’t any ensures in soccer and Gokeres has dissatisfied alongside different massive names similar to Alexander Isak and Florian Wirths this season, however Watkins seems to have been an possibility value contemplating for Arsenal.
The Villa frontman could solely supply an analogous objective risk, however when it comes to touches and creating probabilities for his team-mates, he’s a pressure to be reckoned with for defenders.
Arsenal finally determined the deal wasn’t value it and took Gokeres as a substitute, however how lengthy will they stay to remorse it?
