Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres is likely to make his Emirates Stadium debut on Wednesday, now with the support of one of the club’s legendary forwards and ambassadors.
Ian Wright, a Premier League champion and two-time FA Cup winner with the Gunners, is the club’s second greatest goalscorer of all time with 158 goals. In an appearance on the SDS podcast, the Arsenal legend backed the Swede to succeed in his first season given comparisons he sees between himself and the summer signing.
“I heard Mark Robins from Coventry say that every time Gyökeres 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,” Wright said.
Wright further highlighted talk surrounding Gyökeres’s goals in Liga Portugal. The Sweden international scored 97 in 102 appearances for Sporting Lisbon, but detractors doubted the quality of his scoring rate given the level of competition.
“People are talking about the league Gyökeres 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 Gyökeres 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 focused on was hitting targets and taking chances,” Wright said.
“With Gyokeres, I can see the mentality and if he’s anything like I was, he himself can’t wait because he knows what he’s going into.”
Gyökeres could make his Emirates Stadium debut in a preseason friendly against Villarreal on Wednesday. Whether it is off the bench or as a starter, the Swede is likely to receive a big reception given Arsenal’s extended striker transfer saga over the years.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Legend Offers Honest Prediction for Viktor Gyokeres.
