Jamie Carragher makes brutal Viktor Gyokeres claim after Arsenal win - 'Shouldn't be starting'

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Jamie Carragher has claimed that Viktor Gyokeres is not good enough for Arsenal if they have ambitions to win the league. The Swede was signed from Sporting Lisbon in the summer for £55m.

It was hoped that he would finally be the one to fire Mikel Arteta ’s side to the Premier League crown following a number of narrow misses over recent campaigns. But Gyokeres has had a mixed start to life in North London.

He has scored seven goals in 21 appearances in all competitions but has netted just once in his previous six league outings. Despite Arsenal strengthening their grip on top spot on Tuesday with an emphatic 4-1 win vs Aston Villa , Carragher has claimed that one weakness in their title charge could indeed be Gyokeres.

Speaking on Sky Sports , he said: “I’m a huge fan of [Gabriel] Jesus. He’s not always been an amazing finisher but he is a fantastic footballer. I think maybe the only negative of the night for Arsenal is that Gyokeres shouldn’t be starting for Arsenal when they’ve got players like this (Jesus).

“I think in a couple of games’ time when Jesus is a little bit more up to speed, he’s a better player than Gyokeres. That’s a fact.

“He [Jesus] has been questioned before, is he good enough for Arsenal to help them win the league? But right now he is better than the guy they brought in who they thought was going to win them the league.

“Him or Havertz as the central striker for Arsenal is a better player than Gyokeres. Gyokeres is really game and I admire him for taking that penalty against Everton , he always looks really intense.

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“But I think he just lacks that finesse and quality when you think about what they have on the bench. Don’t forget, City have [Erling] Haaland so I think Arsenal need to improve on what they have in Gyokeres and they have players who can improve on Gyokeres in Jesus.”

Arsenal will be keeping an eye out over the next few days to see what rivals City get up to. Pep Guardiola ’s side take on newly-promoted Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on New Years’ Day. Arsenal are back in action at the weekend as they travel to Bournemouth before they welcome Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium later this month.

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.