Agbonlahor Slams Gyokeres: Arsenal's £64m Signing "Will Never Be Elite"

Gabby Agbonlahor has delivered a damning assessment of Viktor Gyokeres' prospects at Arsenal, suggesting the £64million summer signing from Sporting CP will never reach the elite tier of strikers.

The former Aston Villa forward's critique comes after a testing first campaign for the Swedish striker in English football. Gyokeres has managed just six goals and zero assists across 22 Premier League outings this season, averaging 0.25 non-penalty goals per 90 minutes with a shot on target conversion rate of 34.3%.

His Champions League form offers little encouragement either. While he has netted four times in six European fixtures, only four of those strikes came from open play—and tellingly, all arrived against newly promoted opposition.

"When I watch him, and I look at how he is as a striker, he's not a top, top striker," Agbonlahor told talkSPORT. "He will score goals for Arsenal. But is he going to score the big goals in the Champions League? Is he going to score against the elite defenders? I don't think he is."

The 27-year-old's fundamental limitations, according to the pundit, extend beyond finishing. Agbonlahor highlighted Gyokeres' lack of explosive pace and his inability to manufacture chances independently. "Hasn't got the pace, can't create his own goals. If Gyokeres receives the ball, he's not going to take the player on and score a goal," he explained.

Agbonlahor pointed to Gyokeres' goal against Leeds—a cutting inside move from the left flank—as evidence that his success has come exclusively at Championship level. "That is Leeds, Championship-level defenders. He will probably do the same against Sunderland tomorrow. An elite striker, I don't think he will ever get there," he concluded.

The criticism from Agbonlahor aligns with concerns raised elsewhere about Gyokeres' integration at the club. Paul Merson, the Arsenal legend, suggested this week that Gyokeres' teammates harbour doubts about his ability, resulting in insufficient service. Speaking on The Overlap, Merson observed: "Arsenal don't trust him and the players never pass to him. You watch him next time; he comes short, they go no. I don't think they trust him at all."

This weekend brings Sunderland to the Emirates—a promoted side currently sitting eighth in the table. Only Arsenal, Manchester United, and Manchester City have conceded fewer defeats this term, meaning Gyokeres faces a considerably tougher examination than the newly promoted teams that have populated his goal tally so far.