Former Premier League keeper Ben Foster has thrown shade on Arsenal’s new striker Viktor Gyökeres, questioning whether the Swedish hitman truly fits Mikel Arteta’s slick, possession-heavy system.
Gyökeres arrived at the Emirates this summer as one of Europe’s hottest forwards after tearing up the Portuguese league with Sporting CP. Arsenal beat several top clubs, including Manchester United, to his signature, with reports claiming United even offered more money. But Gyökeres had his heart set on Arsenal, determined to prove himself in England after a forgettable spell at Brighton.
Now one of the Premier League’s most expensive forwards, the pressure is already mounting, and Foster isn’t sure he’s the right man for Arteta’s style.
“Gyökeres, right, I like him and he scores goals and I think he will always score goals, but I think the eye test tells you he’s not necessarily that silky player, are he?” Foster said on The Fozcast.
“He is that player who just likes to play on shoulders. He makes good runs into the box, but Arsenal aren’t that sort of team, are they? They haven’t been that team for a long while.”
Foster’s blunt assessment echoes what many fans have wondered: can a powerhouse striker who thrives on direct runs and quick counters really shine in Arsenal’s intricate, pass-heavy attack?
Arteta’s side is built on movement, link-up play, and technical flair, the kind of football that made stars of players like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus. Gyökeres, by contrast, is a pure No.9, fast, physical, and lethal inside the box, but not exactly the archetypal “Arsenal forward.”
He’s desperate to prove the doubters wrong and erase memories of his Brighton flop, but in the Premier League, patience runs thin, especially for a £70m striker.
Foster’s comments may sting, but they hit at the heart of the question: will Viktor Gyökeres evolve into Arteta’s perfect frontman… or prove to be an expensive mismatch?
