Viktor Gyokeres, the new signing and star striker for Arsenal, was the subject of slander earlier this week. Paul Scholes, a legend of Manchester United, and Jamie Carragher, a legend of Liverpool, were called “pathetic” for making fun of the Swedish talisman’s style of play on Sky Sports’ “The Overlap.”
Gyokeres’ career at Arsenal is off to a respectable start. He led Mikel Arteta’s attack in a 1-0 victory on his somewhat lacklustre debut for the Gunners at Old Trafford, but he didn’t make much of an impression. However, that was mainly the case for the majority of the north London team, who still managed to win at the Theatre of Dreams despite playing below their best.
Arsenal Supporters Are Offended by Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher’s Jokes About Viktor Gyokeres’ Slander
He did, however, score twice in his Emirates debut against Leeds United, who had recently been promoted. The Gunners defeated the Yorkshire team 5-0 thanks to a penalty deep into stoppage time and a well-worked goal just after halftime.
Representatives from each club had the opportunity to discuss their team at the Overlap’s ‘Fan Debate’. A wry-smiled Scholes waited for the conversation to end after Tottenham Hotspur spokesman Ben Bowman made a joke about rival attacker Gyokeres “looking like he’s playing with jeans on” in the most recent edition.
Not letting the occasion go, the United legend brought it up again, saying:
“Have you heard what was said? ‘He looks like he’s playing with jeans on.’ I’m not sure who said that.
To the dismay of the Arsenal contingent, the former England internationals and the majority of the studio responded with laughter.
‘The Cannon Pod’ from Arsenal’s Rohan Jivan also took the professionals’ laughter seriously, calling it ‘sad’. On X (previously Twitter), he posted:
“This is football commentary from former players and commentators in the mainstream media. I’m not surprised, but it’s pathetic.”
“Never seen a 55 million signing get heavily scrutinised like Gyok ngl,” said another Arsenal supporter, who claimed to have “never seen” someone attacked as harshly as the Swede for the price tag he arrived for.
“I just find it a bit disturbing that a player can get his dream move to the Premier League and instead of being welcomed by the mainstream media he’s made fun of, criticised, and abused before he’s even had a chance to prove himself,” wrote one fan, while another described the jokes directed at Gyokeres as “disturbing,” particularly before he’s been given an opportunity to prove himself.
Gyokeres was brought in to help Arsenal with their “out-and-out” striker dilemma. Since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the Gunners, the team has been without a natural goal scorer.
His brace against Leeds demonstrated his abilities, and his 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting—including 68 goals in just 66 Primeira Liga games—proved his value as one of the world’s most prolific attackers.
Although he might not be as technically skilled as other players, if he keeps scoring goals, his speed, physicality, and ability to find the back of the net make him a potentially incredible addition to the Gunners by the end of the season.
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