Former Arsenal midfielder Stefan Schwarz believes that Viktor Gyokeres’ difficulty in finding goals at Arsenal can partly be explained by his disrupted pre-season. The striker arrived with huge expectations after his outstanding form at Sporting Club, but his transition to English football has not been as smooth as many anticipated.
Delayed move impacted preparation
Arsenal were locked in negotiations for Gyokeres’ signature for a significant period, with Sporting unwilling to compromise unless their valuation was met. Several other clubs were prepared to pay more, meaning Sporting had little incentive to lower their demands. Despite that, Gyokeres made it clear that Arsenal was his preferred destination and pushed strongly for the move.
The striker refused to engage in personal terms discussions with other interested sides, which slowed the process considerably. As a result, the transfer was only finalised towards the end of pre-season. That delay meant Gyokeres trained for just a few weeks with his new teammates before competitive action began, limiting his ability to fully adapt to Arsenal’s playing style and physical demands.
Given his exceptional performances in Portugal, there was still an expectation that he would start scoring immediately. However, the lack of a full pre-season has appeared to affect his sharpness and understanding with those around him. While his work rate and pressing have been evident, the goals that defined his reputation have been harder to come by.
Schwarz highlights long-term effects
Schwarz believes missing such a crucial preparation period can have lasting consequences. He feels Gyokeres has been forced to chase fitness and rhythm throughout the campaign rather than building them naturally from the start. That challenge has been compounded by injury setbacks, further interrupting his momentum.
Speaking according to Metro Sport, Schwarz explained, ‘He has had a tough start, but I believe as well that when you miss a big part of pre-season, it affects you for the whole season. You are always catching up, and he picked up an injury too.’
Those comments reflect a wider understanding that Gyokeres’ struggles are not purely down to form or confidence. Adapting to a new league, a new tactical system, and a disrupted build-up has made his task significantly harder. With time, fitness, and continuity, there remains a belief that the striker can still show why Arsenal were so determined to secure his signature.
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The former Arsenal man is right, but it’s not rocket science.
Of all the big money signing of strikers only Liverpool Hugo Ekitike appears to have integrated quickly, even transfer between premier league clubs have players struggling to integrate, look no further than Isak from Newcastle to Anfield
Can someone who knows a bit more about football than me answer this : Gyokeres is a big man but he never wins an aerial duel from a long ball….he wont jump to contest ever out the field . For me , his back to goal game is very poor .
Jesus is much smaller but wins more of those challenges . I just dont understand it….not good enough (yet ?).
I hope it is a situation where VG hasn’t arrived yet…
I call him MR G. the game against Chelsea, his goal showed that he is a 9, as where he ended when the cross came. Just before that a cross came over,however , the ball came strait to him and not in front.not a bad ball, but a difficult ball to contrl to force a 1v1, so he need to know at what speed he will run. this is only a training exercise and Im sure the forward coach will be working on it, He is the cause of the oppose AM laying to deep most of the time, as the opponents are scared
Can’t be a convincing reason. Gyokeres already played 32 competitive games and train daily with the squad.