Thierry Henry Delivers Rare Praise for Viktor Gyokeres as Arsenal Striker Prepares for Explosive Debut
Thierry Henry urged supporters to show patience with Arsenal's new signing Viktor Gyökeres, emphasizing that players seldom make an immediate impact when first joining the Premier League.
Henry understands this challenge intimately. The legendary Frenchman failed to find the net in his opening seven Premier League matches for Arsenal after his 1999 transfer from Juventus, memorably sending one shot so far off target it struck the timepiece at Highbury stadium. He would never experience such an extended scoring drought in the league again.
Gyökeres has taken over Henry's iconic No. 14 jersey and is anticipated to deliver a similarly impressive goal-scoring record in north London. The former Sporting CP striker comes off an extraordinary season in Lisbon where he netted an incredible 54 goals across 52 appearances.
The Swedish forward's previous Sporting manager Ruben Amorim, who will face his former player with Manchester United this Sunday, highlighted the challenges players encounter when switching leagues. Henry echoed these sentiments.
"You have a player who's lethal in the penalty area—statistics speak for themselves—and you have a squad that generates numerous opportunities, so it appears to be an ideal combination, but you must also recognize that sometimes the chemistry doesn't develop immediately," Arsenal's record goalscorer explained in his Betway Insider column.
"What you desire is for supporters to show patience with him, and what's frustrating currently is that people lack that patience nowadays. They expect the player to deliver immediately, score goals right away and help us win instantly, which rarely occurs.
"He previously played in England, let's remember that. He was at Coventry, he struggled at Brighton, so you can observe someone who understands what adversity means and has bounced back from it. He's more self-assured now, and you can tell from his physique how he's maintained himself, how he's evolved."
Henry also focused attention on Gyökeres's fellow players. "I'm an Arsenal supporter, I naturally hope he'll succeed, score plenty of goals for us, and lead us to a championship, but he won't accomplish that single-handedly," the former France international cautioned.
"We have witnessed that goals don't always guarantee you a title. We've seen players with incredible statistics, but they didn't claim any trophies. The squad surrounding them must be strong."
Gyökeres will get his initial opportunity to demonstrate his abilities in a competitive environment when Arsenal visit Manchester United at Old Trafford for their Premier League season opener on Sunday afternoon.