Jay Bothroyd believes his former club Arsenal made a blunder by signing Viktor Gyokeres instead of Hugo Ekitike.
Arsenal have been told that sporting director Andrea Berta made a mistake by signing Viktor Gyokeres instead of Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike, with former Gunners striker Jay Bothroyd questioning whether the Swedish striker is the right fit for Mikel Arteta’s attack.
Gyokeres arrived at the Emirates in a £64 million deal after scoring 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting, but Bothroyd believes Arsenal could have found a better solution by moving for Ekitike, who eventually joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Speaking on Football Uncensored, Bothroyd also highlighted Alexander Isak and Julian Alvarez as forwards he believes would have suited Arsenal better.
“Gyokeres was fantastic in Portugal; he was scoring loads of goals, and he was beating up the league,” Bothroyd said via TEAMtalk.
“He’s come to the Premier League and, physically, everyone can compete with him. But when I keep hearing, ‘Oh, he’s playing in between the defenders, he’s occupying people’… Arsenal are too big just to have a player and say: ‘You’re occupying the centre-backs.’”
The criticism comes after Gyokeres scored 21 goals in all competitions during his first season in England and helped Arsenal win the Premier League. Despite playing his part, the Swedish international hasn’t been able to establish himself as a regular starter. He has only started two league games, with Kai Havertz currently being used more frequently as a false nine.
For Bothroyd, the issue is not simply Gyokeres’ goalscoring record but whether his overall profile gives Arsenal enough variety in attack. He believes Ekitike would have provided more of the qualities Arteta needs, with the Frenchman eventually becoming a key part of Liverpool’s attack after his £69 million move from Frankfurt.
“I wanted to get Alexander Isak from Newcastle, I think that was the perfect signing,” Bothroyd added.
“Then Hugo Ekitike, that was a perfect signing.”
Ekitike enjoyed a productive debut campaign at Liverpool, registering 23 goal contributions, while Arsenal ultimately chose Gyokeres as their major striker signing.
Signing Julian Alvarez could solve problems for Arsenal
Bothroyd also believes Alvarez remains an ideal option for Arsenal, particularly because of his ability to contribute in several areas rather than simply operating as a traditional centre-forward.
“When I look at Julian Alvarez, I think he is exactly what Arsenal needed,” he said.
‘But I think Alvarez fits exactly what Arsenal need which is a player who can come in between the lines, he can get turned, he can manufacture his own goals, he can play out in wide areas and obviously he can play on the shoulder.”
Arsenal’s missed opportunity to sign Ekitike or Isak cannot be undone, with both forwards established at Liverpool. However, there could still be an opportunity to pursue Alvarez after a recent development surrounding his future at Atletico Madrid.
For now, Bothroyd’s assessment places renewed scrutiny on Arsenal’s decision to make Gyokeres their headline attacking signing, particularly if his struggles to establish himself continue.