Viktor Gyokeres joined Arsenal from Sporting in the summer as Europe’s most prolific goalscorer, with a phenomenal 54 goals in 52 games in all competitions last season.
But with a stark difference in style between Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Portuguese champions Sporting, there was doubt about whether he would be able to produce a similar level of output in the Premier League.
At the midpoint of the season, the 27-year-old has scored five league goals, including two penalties.
So why have the Sweden striker’s numbers dropped so drastically? Are Arsenal not playing to his strengths, or is he simply not as good as his spell in Portugal had suggested?
Why Gyokeres was so good for Sporting
At Sporting, Gyokeres was the lone striker in a system that did not always pen teams in their own box.
As the team that were crowned champions, they naturally usually dominated games, but they often hit long passes to Gyokeres soon after they regained possession rather than use a more methodical build-up.
That played to Gyokeres’ qualities. He has a traditional centre-forward’s physical profile but controlling difficult passes and linking play are not key strengths of his game.
Instead, Gyokeres thrived when Sporting brought him into play in three ways: