Graham Stanton, the head coach of the Swedish national team, has asked Viktor Gyökeres to overcome the challenges of his season start with Arsenal and to put aside the criticisms received. Gyökeres, who scored 21 goals in all competitions last season and won the Premier League championship medal, has yet to find the net this season.
Inconsistent performance last season
Gyökeres had an inconsistent performance during Arsenal's championship run last season, and rumors about a potential transfer from North London surfaced. This comes as he remained at Arsenal just a year after his £64 million transfer from Sporting. However, with the transfer deadline passed, the 28-year-old forward is still an Arsenal player and hopes to challenge the criticisms with a strong performance this season.
Season start challenges and Stanton's support
In the first two matches of the current Premier League season, Gyökeres came on as a substitute and played only 12 minutes against Chelsea. Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal head coach, gave Gyökeres a chance to start in the Champions League opener against Napoli, but he was unable to make an impact in that match and returned to the bench. After another setback in Arsenal's victory in the Carabao Cup against Ipswich, it seems Kai Havertz is the main option for Arsenal's attack.
Stanton commented on Gyökeres's situation: “Things happen in football. He is a Premier League winner and has performed exceptionally in the World Cup qualifiers as well as in the World Cup itself. Players at this level always face criticism, but there is no problem here.”
Stanton also emphasized that he intends to provide the best conditions for Gyökeres so that he can return to his ideal form. He said: “We love Viktor, and he enjoys being here. We will provide the best conditions for him to continue being a great player.”
Given the ongoing challenges, Stanton hopes that by supporting Gyökeres, he can get through this difficult period and return to his peak days.
