John Terry has backed Arsenal to win the Premier League title next season but believes Mikel Arteta will need to replace Viktor Gyokeres. The Sweden international was signed in a £64 million deal from Sporting CP last summer and scored 21 goals in his first season for Arsenal, who finished seven points clear of Manchester City to win the Premier League and reached the Champions League final where they were beaten by Paris Saint-Germain.
Criticism of Gyokeres
Gyokeres has faced criticism over his technical ability during his time at Arsenal and has also been accused of being a ‘flat-track bully’ due to his lack of goals in key games for the Gunners. Terry believes Arteta has the foundations of a squad at Arsenal that can go on to win multiple Premier League titles but feels Gyokeres will not be a consistent goalscorer.
Terry's Verdict
Asked whether he expects Arsenal to defend their Premier League title next season, Terry told talkSPORT: ‘Yeah, I do actually. I think Arsenal… it’s theirs to lose for the next couple of years. I think they’ve got a really good squad of players. In terms of their squad, I think they’re missing an out-and-out striker that’s going to get in 20, 30 goals a season consistently. Look at the top sides over the last 20 years in the Premier League, they’ve all had it. Arsenal haven’t really got that. I think they’re one or two signings away from dominating the Premier League for the next two or three years, unfortunately.’
Transfer Speculation
Gyokeres, who is representing Sweden at the World Cup this summer, has already been linked with a move away from Arsenal with Atletico Madrid reportedly keen on a swap deal involving Julian Alvarez.
Arteta's Defence
But speaking last month, Arteta hailed Gyokeres for the improvements he has made to his game since joining Arsenal. ‘Some of the things you see, certain improvements from players probably the work has not been the day before or two days before, it has been done through months. It doesn’t happen overnight,’ Arteta said. ‘Viktor has been working extremely hard, the level of demands he puts on himself are incredibly high. He always wants to learn, he’s always asking questions, he always wants to do extra things. He is always trying to find ways to find connections with his team-mates whether that is in the canteen, in the dressing room or on the pitch. At the end, when you have that kind of behaviour you get rewards.’
