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Metro
27 minutes ago
- Metro
'I played with Viktor Gyokeres - he's not worth £64m and will flop at Arsenal'
A former teammate of Viktor Gyokeres believes he will struggle at Arsenal and says he 'never had him down to be a £64m striker'. Mikel Arteta was desperate to sign a new striker this summer and has put his faith in former Sporting hitman Gyokeres. Gyokeres enjoyed two sensational seasons in Portugal, scoring 97 goals in 102 games and winning back-to-back league titles. Before his productive spell at Sporting, Gyokeres played for three EFL clubs – Coventry City, Swansea City and Brighton. Brighton signed the forward from Swedish minnows Brommapojkarna in 2018 but Gyokeres only made three first-team appearances for the Seagulls before being sold three years later. Metro's new weekly football newsletter: In The Mixer. Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every Friday – sign up, it's an open goal. It was at Coventry that things started to click for Gyokeres, who scored 38 goals in 91 matches in the Championship to earn a £20m move to Sporting. During his three-year spell at Brighton, Gyokeres was sent out on three separate loan deals as he failed to convince the club – and clearly his teammates – of his potential. Former Premier League striker Glenn Murray was at Brighton the same time as Gyokeres and says he 'never had him down to be a £64m striker'. Murray fears Gyokeres is 'not the one' and will struggle to make the grade at Arsenal, who have aspirations of winning the Premier League this season. The former Crystal Palace and Bournemouth star says that while he instantly recognised Arsenal defender Ben White as a superior player at Brighton, he was unimpressed by Gyokeres. 'I don't think Viktor Gyokeres is the one – it's such a big step,' Murray, 41, told BBC Sport. 'I was with him at Brighton and I never had him down to be a £64m striker. 'When Ben White stepped into our first team, right away everyone knew how he good he was – he was of that standard. 'When Viktor came in, it was more a case where you thought he was all right. I am not sure he suits Arsenal's style, either.' Arteta has been in desperate need of a new striker for well over a year and considered new Manchester United signing Benjamin Sesko before Arsenal focused on Gyokeres. The 27-year-old scored his first Arsenal goal in the pre-season friendly against Athletic Bilbao last week and is set to make his Premier League debut at Old Trafford on Sunday. Viktor Gyokeres has widely been described as the final piece of the jigsaw for an Arsenal side that have come agonisingly close to winning the Premier League. But the same was said about Romelu Lukaku upon his return to Chelsea in 2021 and we know how that worked out. Gyokeres' stats for Sporting were incredible but Darwin Nunez enjoyed similar success in Portugal before underwhelming in the Premier League. It's taken a fair while for Gyokeres, 27, to earn a move to one of Europe's top five leagues. This time two years ago, in fact, he had just spent his fourth successive season in the Championship, scoring a respectable but far from remarkable 21 goals in 46 games. He's an upgrade on Kai Havertz but don't expect mind-blowing returns from a player who has been branded a 'gamble' by the likes of Paul Scholes and Gary Lineker. 'I don't think he's the guy,' Rio Ferdinand even said shortly after his £64m move to north London was announced. Mikel Arteta doesn't get too many signings wrong but it was him, remember, who pushed to sign Raheem Sterling last summer. Arsenal were torn between signing Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko earlier in the summer. Time will tell if they made the right decision. Louis Sealey, Metro Deputy Sports Editor Assessing Gyokeres' performance against Bilbao, Arteta said: 'He pins both centre backs. He is a player that the moment you leave him with space one-on-one, he is going to destroy you. 'He's going to create a lot of space for us as well. In any moment or situation, he is a player that can score a goal. 'That first goal is always very important and the way he took it as well, was really, really good.' But Murray is not the only pundit to have concerns about Gyokeres, with ex-Arsenal defender William Gallas suggesting it could take him a while to 'adapt' to the Premier League. More Trending 'Will Viktor Gyokeres be able to adapt straight away? Personally, I don't think so,' Gallas said. 'It doesn't mean it's not a good player, but when players come from abroad we usually see that it takes time. 'Strikers often take time, playing in Portugal is also completely different to playing in England, but Arsenal do need him to adapt straight away because their target is to win the Premier League. 'If I could've chosen between Gyokeres and Alexander Isak, I think Isak would've been a better option. We know he is proven in the Premier League and that he is 100% at the level.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Manchester United set price to sign Sporting star as Ruben Amorim sanctions bid MORE: Liverpool boss Arne Slot makes Chelsea prediction after £250m spending spree MORE: Jamie Carragher says Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta 'stole' £60m star from Liverpool
The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Premier League 2025-26 preview No 19: West Ham United
Guardian writers' predicted position: 15th (NB: this is not necessarily Jacob Steinberg's prediction but the average of our writers' tips) Last season's position: 14th The danger for West Ham is that this is the season when their dysfunction catches up with them. They have regressed since winning the Uefa Conference League two years ago, too many misguided moves preventing them from kicking on, and rebuilding has not been simple. Funds are tight after a series of costly errors in the transfer market and Graham Potter is yet to demonstrate he is capable of silencing the familiar sound of grumbling at the London Stadium. Some fans fear a relegation battle beckons. West Ham underwhelmed last season, attempts to move on from David Moyes's pragmatism by replacing the Scot with Julen Lopetegui proving predictably short-lived. They finished 14th, their improvement marginal after Potter replaced Lopetegui in January, a subsequent run of five wins in 19 games telling its own story. The optimistic reading, though, is that this is the real start of the Potter era. The message was to judge him after a pre-season. Potter, who is expected to favour a 3-4-2-1 system, has worked on improving the team's mentality. He wants more leadership. It is not a surprise that Potter has brought in a sports psychologist. The mood has also been lifted by Lucas Paquetá, the influential Brazilian midfielder, being found innocent of breaking betting regulations. Paquetá has impressed during pre-season. Jarrod Bowen, the captain, continues to deliver in attack and has shown signs of a productive partnership with Niclas Füllkrug. There have been some encouraging additions, El Hadji Malick Diouf in particular catching the eye at left wing-back in pre-season. Potter and Kyle Macaulay, the head of recruitment, won a little battle when they convinced the board to buy the Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen. Callum Wilson, signed on a cheap short-term deal, offers experienced cover up front – if he can stay fit. More signings are required, though. Several veterans have departed, the sale of Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham leaves a creative deficit and Potter's hopes of making West Ham more proactive at home and better in possession will depend on whether the club can deliver a No 6 and a No 8. A lot remains up in the air. The picture will be clearer when the window shuts. Potter's reputation is yet to recover after his brutal, ill-fated stint at Chelsea. Feted as the brightest young English coach around when he was at Brighton, it took only seven traumatic months at Stamford Bridge to throw his promising career off course. Now the challenge is to prove the doubters wrong. West Ham were unsure about hiring Potter but may benefit from his calm, dignity and ability to improve players on the training ground. Patience could be key. Potter is not about instant success. He has tended to build slowly, so West Ham will need to trust him if they start slowly. Concerns over profitability and sustainability rules meant West Ham had to sell to buy at the start of the window. Supporters, though, do not want to hear the club pleading poverty. Many still begrudge the move to the unloved London Stadium which, despite having a capacity of 62,500, has hardly led to a change in West Ham's fortunes. David Sullivan, the largest shareholder, is heavily criticised. The 76-year-old is not popular but remains highly influential. Less is made of the part played by the Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, who bought his stake in 2021. The Gold family put a proportion of their stake up for sale almost two years ago. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion West Ham tracked Diouf for more than a year but decided against moving for him last summer. Tim Steidten, the then technical director, is understood to have felt the Senegal international was not good enough for the Premier League. It is just as well, then, that the overhyped Steidten left last February. West Ham looked at Diouf again – they needed a left-back after releasing Aaron Cresswell and putting Emerson Palmieri up for sale – and took the plunge. They paid £22m for the 20-year-old, who was excellent in Senegal's win over England in June, and are excited about his crossing ability. There were high hopes for George Earthy after a productive season on loan at Bristol City. However the attacking midfielder sustained an ankle ligament injury at the start of pre-season and is still on the mend. Earthy will hope to press his claim once he returns but in the meantime all eyes are on Freddie Potts, who has done well in pre-season. The 21-year-old, the son of the former West Ham defender Steve Potts, is a deep-lying midfielder and has looked comfortable on the ball in recent friendlies. Ollie Scarles, a 19-year-old left-back, will also hope for more minutes after being given opportunities last season. The departure of Kudus means there will be pressure on Crysencio Summerville to step up and nail down a starting spot when he returns from a hamstring injury. The 23-year-old joined from Leeds last summer but the winger is yet to produce his best form for West Ham. He was a bit-part player under Lopetegui, who was reluctant to use the Dutchman's speed and trickery, and has been out since tearing a hamstring during Potter's first game. Surgery eventually followed and has left Summerville, who is expected to return next month, desperate to show what he can do. 'When I'm back, it's going to be showtime,' he said last month.
The Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Sun
Horse racing tips: ‘Loads more to come with Oisin Murphy in charge' – Templegate's 9-4 Friday NAP
TEMPLEGATE'S tips for Friday's racing are below - as he looks to build the bank for York next week. Back a horse by clicking their odds below. SUNNY SMILE (3.05 Newbury, nap) She was much improved when winning at Hamilton last time with Oisin Murphy in the saddle for the first time. The former champ stays on board today for this handicap debut off a fair mark of 81 and there's a lot more to come. FLOWERHEAD (4.45 Newbury, nb) Can blossom in the St Hugh's Stakes at the Berkshire track. She has run two mighty races at Ascot this season. Charlie Clover's filly was beaten just over a length when second in the Queen Mary at the Royal meeting and was back for a close-up fifth in the Princess Margaret Stakes last time. Dropping back to 5f in this lesser grade can see her head in front again. CALENDAR GIRL (2.40 Epsom, treble) There was a lot to like about the way she scooted home to win on debut at Newbury 22 days ago. Owen Burrows isn't particularly known for first-time-out winners so there should be more to come. CANCAN IN THE RAIN (6.25 Newmarket, Lucky 15) He got the job done well at Southwell last time and has decent form on fast-ground turf too so should be right at home. Templegate's tips Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
