Paul Scholes questions whether Viktor Gyokeres is the 'clever striker' Mikel Arteta really wanted at Arsenal as doubts raised over tactical fit

Gyokeres’ journey to north London has been far from conventional. Originally on Brighton’s books, he made little impact in England before rising to prominence at Coventry City. His reputation skyrocketed after a move to Sporting Lisbon, where he scored a remarkable 97 goals in 102 games. Last season alone, he found the net 52 times across 54 matches, including a Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City, a feat that caught the eye of several top clubs, with Arsenal ultimately winning the race for his signature.

Scholes has now questioned whether Arteta had truly prioritised Gyokeres, citing the drawn-out nature of the transfer talks with Sporting and Arsenal’s apparent indecisiveness as reasons to question if the Swede was their first-choice target.

Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet, the United legend said: "[Arsenal needed a] Centre forward, I just wonder if you’ve chosen the right one. Because there was a lot of um-ing and ah-ing about it, I wondered if Mikel Arteta really wanted him, as the main one he wants? I’m not too sure, and he’s got him now.   

“He’s had a really strange career path - Brighton, Coventry, and then he’s gone to Sporting Lisbon and his goal record is absolutely brilliant – you can’t take that away from him. If there’s any team that he could go to and create chances, then it should be Arsenal and it should be a really good match."

Scholes also raised concerns about whether Gyokeres’ playing style fits Arsenal’s system. At Sporting, he often thrived in a counter-attacking setup, using his strength and speed to overwhelm defenders on quick breaks. Arsenal, in contrast, are typically dominant in possession, requiring their forwards to be more subtle with movement and positioning in tight spaces.

"The only thing I’d say against Gyokeres really is that with Sporting Lisbon, he’s probably playing on the counter-attack a lot, in Europe especially," Scholes said. "You think of Arsenal, they have the ball an awful lot, is he going to be clever enough to make these runs in behind – a lot of him that you see, he’s sprinting from the halfway line almost, you can’t keep up with him, he’s ramming people, he’s quick and he’s smashing the ball in. Is he going to be that clever striker – we know (Alexander) Isak can do that. Can Gyokeres do that?"

Gyokeres made his Arsenal debut last week in a pre-season fixture against rivals Tottenham Hotspur in Hong Kong. Coming on in the 77th minute, the Swede barely had an impact, recording just two touches as Arsenal slumped to a 1-0 defeat.

Arsenal still have two more warm-up games scheduled, against Villarreal and Athletic Club, before their Premier League campaign kicks off. Gyokeres will be aiming to gain match fitness and a better understanding with his team-mates ahead of what could be a high-pressure debut away to Manchester United on August 17.