Viktor Gyokeres arrives at Arsenal on a pedestal – but alarm bells are already ringing, I’m not convinced he’ll flourish

I AM not convinced Viktor Gyokeres will score as many goals for Arsenal as people think.

I would love to write this column later in the season and say I got it absolutely wrong. I want these players to embarrass me.

My frustration is always that these guys are instantly put on a pedestal.

People don’t realise the difference between playing in Portugal and playing for Arsenal or Manchester United or Liverpool.

Gyokeres’ numbers are fantastic. You can never deny the goals he scored in Portugal — it’s up there with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi levels.

But he had a lot of chances because Lisbon dominated the ball.

And then when Ruben Amorim left for Man United last November, he wasn’t as prolific.

I know that sounds harsh but he just hasn’t looked the same sort of player.

In Arsenal’s pre-season games, he missed a few chances and there is the feeling that the shirt is a bit heavier to wear than at Sporting.

He’s at Arsenal with huge expectations now, and to think that he’s going to come in and be the reason they win the league . . .

I have got Arsenal mates who have been placing bets over how many trophies they will win this season, whether they can do the Treble because they have their striker.

He needs to hit that magic 20-goal marker if that is to happen, but I don’t think he is going to score more than Erling Haaland or Mohamed Salah or Alexander Isak, wherever he ends up.

Ultimately, that’s going to be the crux of it. Arsenal score a lot of goals as a team, as do Manchester City and Liverpool, but it is always dependent on Haaland or Salah scoring 25 to 30 goals a season.

They are the players who get their teams out of a mess when they need it, and I just don’t know who that will be for Arsenal — even with Gyokeres.

They are still set-piece dependent, and still reliant on Bukayo Saka. If he gets injured again, they will struggle.

Gyokeres will score goals and is a really good player. He will grab a couple of hat-tricks against the lesser teams like Leeds or Wolves.

But in the big moments, does he score at Anfield? I’m not sure.

And the fact that they took so long to get Gyokeres over the line, the fact they also flirted with Benjamin Sesko, that has set off alarm bells for me.

Why didn’t Arsenal just go: “Bang, here’s the money you want. He’s our guy.”?

Is it because they weren’t sure he was the answer, the missing piece?

You didn’t hear any of this hesitation when they paid £105million for Declan Rice. Because they knew he was the one. Gyokeres even had to force the move a bit himself.

Arsenal know he can score goals but does he fit the system? Does he take away from Saka cutting inside and scoring?

Liverpool were in the market for a top striker. Why didn’t they go for Gyokeres? They don’t get many signings wrong. What do they know that Arsenal don’t?

I’ve heard all about this ‘aura’ he has, but I didn’t see that when I played against him at Coventry for Birmingham a few years ago.

I definitely didn’t leave the pitch and go: “Oh my God, he’s going to be a superstar in the Premier League.” Not once.

I saw somebody who was raw, caused a lot of problems but also missed a lot of chances. At Arsenal, you cannot afford to do that.

In comparison, I remember watching Eberechi Eze at Wycombe and thinking: “Who the f*** is that? How is he here?”

Sometimes you just get years when things click for you, like Gyokeres has had at Sporting, but that doesn’t mean he is going to dominate the Premier League.

Just look at Darwin Nunez and how he was at Benfica compared with what he did at Liverpool with that pressure and expectation. It weighed heavily on him.

The good thing is that Arsenal have depth now. I reckon Kai Havertz will play a lot of football this season. Mikel Arteta loves him — he’s his type of player to lead the line. Is that Gyokeres? I’m not sure.

And if Havertz goes on a run then Gyokeres doesn’t get back in. I could see that scenario. I really like Sesko’s move to United, and I wouldn’t bet against him starting at Old Trafford against Arsenal tomorrow, even if it is just for an hour.

He has come from the Red Bull model of wild counter-pressing and intensity.

That may not have suited Arteta’s structure but with what United are trying to be, he fits the bill.

Don’t get me wrong, it would not have surprised me to see Arsenal land Sesko because it goes with the trust-the-process, look-to-the-future theme. And at United, he will be under a lot of pressure to fix things straight away.

They still have a lot of deadwood to get out the door and the culture needs a lot of work.

Do I think Sesko will take the league by storm? No, but he is in a better situation with experienced guys like Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha around him.

They will constantly be telling him: “When I’ve got the ball, make your run, I’ll find you.”

Because of that, I can see him having a good season, scoring around 15 goals.

United have a great chance to lay down a marker against Arsenal, largely because I don’t think the Gunners have improved significantly.

Arteta has ticked all the boxes but it is a bit Gareth Southgate-esque — they’re great, they’re closer than ever, but can they win?

How long before the fans turn on him? How long can they keep this group together before someone tries to get William Saliba, or test Saka’s resolve?

It’s down to them to prove me wrong.