Viktor Gyokeres told what he doesn't want to hear as Mikel Arteta faces Arsenal transfer problem
Viktor Gyokeres on the Arsenal bench.(Image: Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Jamie Carragher reckons Viktor Gyokeres has no chance of replacing Kai Havertz in the Arsenal starting lineup. The 28-year-old striker, whom the Gunners signed from Sporting for £64m last summer, watched from the sidelines as his colleague fired Mikel Arteta's side to a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Havertz levelled proceedings shortly before the half-hour mark, smashing the ball through the legs of Maxence Lacroix to beat Emi Martinez at his near post from the edge of the box. The Germany international then played a crucial role in teeing up Martin Odegaard just after the break.
Although Havertz wasn't formally awarded the assist, his feigned touch to deceive Wesley Fofana allowed a lovely pass from Christos Tzolis to roll into the path of his skipper, who put Arsenal in front. Making his first appearance of the Premier League season, Gyokeres then replaced the 27-year-old in the final quarter of an hour or so.
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Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, Carragher warned the Sweden international to accept his new understudy role. The Liverpool legend said: "To displace Kai Havertz out this team, you’re talking about one of the best players in the world, that’s what you have to get.
"It has to be an Ian Wright, guaranteed 30 goals a season, a Thierry Henry. Gyokeres is never taking Havertz’s place, not ever. Morgan Rogers, I’m not sure [would have], as well.
"It’s not about how good they are just in attack, it’s what they give you for the team. One of the reasons why you can’t break Arsenal down as a team is how well they press from the front.
"But then when the opposition get through that, they all get behind the ball, and Havertz is about 25, 30 yards from his goal. You go and ask a world-class striker to do that, a guy who’s obsessed with his numbers and his goals to come back and do that, he won’t do that.
"When you see Havertz, what he does in terms of both boxes, set-piece wise as well. Havertz is more of a facilitator; he’s not a great goalscorer. Can [Bukayo] Saka or the wide players get more goals the way [Mohamed] Salah and [Sadio] Mane used to with Bobby Firmino in that position?
"They’re not both great goal scorers, but they bring an awful lot to the team. And this idea that you’ve got to bring someone in who’s like, amazing, yes, I’m the one who’s said consistently, they haven’t got one of the best players in the world in the front four.
"But you better get someone at that level, at that unbelievable level, to take Havertz out of that team. Mikel Arteta, the type of manager that he is, taking Havertz out of that team and what he does for that team defensively.
"We talk about how strong they are defensively. No one can get a shot on target; it’s not just the goalkeeper and the back four; that’s the whole team.
"So he’d be giving up on, actually, some of his team’s defensive solidity, to add a little bit more in the attack, that’s the decision every manager has to take...
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