Tottenham have been urged to consider a shock move for out-of-favour Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres, with former manager David Pleat suggesting the North London club look to their arch-rivals for a solution to their lack of goalscoring threat.
Spurs, managed by Roberto De Zerbi, won three of their four matches before the international break to climb to 11th in the Premier League table. Despite lavish summer spending, the club still lack a reliable goalscorer, with centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke the only player to have scored more than one league goal this season.
Pleat's assessment of striker options
Speaking to The Last Word On Spurs, Pleat said there are few strikers available on the market and suggested Spurs consider Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres, who arrived for big money from Sporting CP last season but has started just one league match this campaign after falling beneath Kai Havertz in the pecking order.
“There aren’t many out there, there’s a very small amount of strikers,” Pleat said. “Are you going to buy Lankshear back now for £50 million? He’s the top scorer in the Championship, our boy.”
“So where are you going to get? Are Arsenal going to give us someone like Jesus, or someone they don’t want? He’s gone already, but, Gyokeres, perhaps. Who else is there?”
Pleat also mentioned other potential targets, including Brian Brobbey, who he said gave Spurs trouble, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who he described as very good in the air but with injury problems. He emphasised the importance of the type of striker, asking whether a player is exceptionally good in the air, a bully-type striker like Delap, or a clever front player more like Havertz.
Gyokeres insists he wants to stay
Despite his lack of starts, Gyokeres has insisted he has no desire to leave Arsenal as speculation mounts ahead of the January transfer window. Speaking to reporters while on international duty with Sweden, he said: “I want to [stay].”
“It feels good when I’ve played. We’ve won most of the games. It was a tough loss in the cup [Fleetwood]. Otherwise it’s felt good for myself and the team. I’ve been doing well lately when I’ve been playing. Right now it feels good.”
“The communication with Arteta is good. We talk about football and how we should play. Before a match, if I’m going to start, we talk about the opponents and what I should think about.”
