Viktor Gyokeres has a 100 per cent record from the penalty spot for Arsenal and is very clinical from that position. That's probably why Declan Rice rates him so highly from the penalty spot. In an interview with The Sun, Rice was asked to name the best Arsenal player, past or present, for different criteria. When asked about penalties, he replied: 'I'm going to go with Viktor. He has got a 100 per cent record.'
I think that when he has someone like Eze close, and he can pick out the weakest defender, Dragusin was the weakest, and when we saw that, he showed he can be very effective. I was always looking at the finishing with Gyokeres, how quickly he can get it down and finish it. It was like how Odegaard set him up; he just moved the defender and finished it.
According to reports from Portuguese outlet O Jogo, the striker is on the verge of activating a specific performance-related clause that will see Arsenal transfer another €500,000 (£430,000) into Sporting CP's coffers. The agreement structured during his high-profile move to London is heavily based on tangible output, and his double against Spurs has brought a significant milestone within touching distance.
Viktor Gyokeres is now close to becoming Arsenal's most prolific debut striker since 2018, according to Squawka, which should silence many critics. Alexander Lacazette managed 17 goals during his first campaign, and Gyokeres is now just two behind that tally with many games still to play.
Tottenham did equalise two minutes after conceding the opener to Eze when Randal Kolo Muani dispossessed Declan Rice and drilled home a finish for 1-1 in the 34th. Gyokeres made it 2-1 with a shot from the edge of the area in the 47th and Eze stretched the lead in the 61st with a rebound after Bukayo Saka's shot was saved. Gyokeres scored again in stoppage time.
Arsenal's makeshift striker Mikel Merino had a very poor game against Aston Villa today, perhaps showing that Mikel Arteta needs to end this experiment. The Spain international has filled in pretty well as an emergency centre-forward, scoring in recent games against Chelsea and Brentford, but in general it surely can't be considered a long-term option. Against Villa today we saw Merino thoroughly shackled, with the 29-year-old barely able to make any kind of impact on the game.
