Rooney Hails Gyokeres as Season's Best Buy as Arsenal Lift Premier League Crown

Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney has singled out Viktor Gyokeres as the standout acquisition of the campaign after Arsenal clinched the Premier League title, despite the Swedish striker facing scrutiny throughout the season.

The Gunners secured their first league crown in years after Manchester City stumbled against Bournemouth in midweek, unable to force a winner-takes-all finale. Arsenal then sealed matters in style on Sunday, dispatching Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park to lift the trophy on the visitors' turf.

Mikel Arteta's squad benefited from a summer spending spree exceeding £250m, bolstering the squad's capacity to challenge across all competitions. Gyokeres arrived as one of the window's marquee signings, and Rooney believes the controversial figure has proven instrumental in Arsenal's ascent.

Speaking on his BBC Sport podcast when asked to name the division's best new arrival, Rooney declared: "I think Viktor Gyokeres. Granit Xhaka has been brilliant for Sunderland but look at what Gyokeres has brought to Arsenal, it's exactly what they've needed. Finishing second over the last three years, I think he's given Arsenal something a bit different and that's been a big factor in them winning the Premier League."

The Gunners have faced criticism regarding their aesthetic approach to the title race, with set-piece goals forming a significant portion of their tally. Yet Rooney has praised their tactical framework, dismissing suggestions they've compromised on style.

"Champions are champions," he reflected. "I have actually really liked how they've played this season. Everyone now wants to play like how Pep Guardiola's teams play but Mikel Arteta has tried that for the last three years and he hasn't won the league. He's changed the recruitment. They've gone more to a bigger, more physical team, and they don't concede goals. They're solid, they have players scoring goals from all over the pitch, and they fully deserve to win the Premier League."

Arteta himself pinpointed two pivotal moments that crystallised his belief in the title destiny. The first came during pre-season preparations, when he gathered the squad before facing Manchester United and assessed their collective commitment.

"I got all the players together and asked them what they were happy to do for the team," Arteta explained to reporters. "They were happy to do anything for the team and I knew we had a big chance to compete in every competition because we had the depth and the quality to challenge. Their response was immediate and incredible and they weren't just words – it's easy to say it in a meeting, but then you need to produce it throughout a ten-month season. The boys deserve so much credit because they've done it in an incredible way."

The second watershed moment arrived following Arsenal's defeat at Manchester City. Rather than deflate, Arteta sensed something different in the dressing room atmosphere.

"That day I thought, 'we are going to win it'," he continued. "I looked at the players in the dressing room and I wanted to see their reactions before I said anything. And I could tell they were very hurt but they realised we can beat them and we can be better than them. It was in our hands and we had to do what we had to do, after that we focused on what we needed to become champions and the response was immediate. From that moment I realised we were going to go very close to winning it."