Arsenal star Victor Gokeres has endured a rollercoaster start to his time with the Gunners, but Mikel Arteta has reiterated he is a big fan of the Swede amid increased interest in the forward.
The jury may still be out on some people when it comes to Arsenal’s new signing Victor Gokeres, but Mikel Arteta has already made it clear he’s a big fan of the talented Swedish striker.
Gökeres has had a modest but consistent performance with six goals in 14 games, scoring a header against Burnley just before the international break, ending his Premier League run without scoring at five games. But his euphoria was short-lived, as a serious injury forced him to miss the next match and this week’s game against Sweden.
Following his blockbuster move from Sporting CP in the summer, the forward has received increasing attention. Gokeres went on strike to force a move, but so far he has been unable to repeat the impressive goals-per-game record he racked up with Portugal in the Premier League.
Crucially, however, Arteta wasn’t just focused on Gokeres finding the back of the net upon his arrival. For him, the reaction during the test was more important.
“This is football and you can’t expect a player to change circumstances (from Sporting CP to Arsenal or from Portugal to England) and do the same thing instantly,” Arteta told Marca. “The circumstances are very different and what all players around the world need is to be in the best possible mental state.
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“And if that’s not provided by their performance or certain aspects of the game that they expect from you, we have to provide that so they can maintain an optimal state of mind.
“I told Victor in our first meeting that the number nine I want at Arsenal is someone who can hold up mentally when we go six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, he’s not good enough at this level. So I have a lot of faith in him.”
Gokeres is hoping for a speedy recovery to help Arsenal win the title and will have to remember Arteta’s words amid all the noise around him. The 27-year-old was even advised to lose some weight by Stefan Schwartz, who doubts his fitness over that of his compatriot.
“Everyone is important, but of course his presence is huge,” Schwartz told Hadziper. “He’s strong, physical and a good finisher with both feet.
“Hopefully he starts scoring goals, gets some good runs, gets some real momentum and gets a little bit lighter because he’s a heavy player,” he added. “I think it helps.
“He hasn’t had a proper pre-season, so he needs to play matches. Those six weeks will give him interaction with his colleagues and understand the movements. When the midfielders pass, you just have to look them in the eyes. You can see where they are going to pass.”
“This relationship takes a little bit of time and in football it’s about fine lines. Look at Dennis Bergkamp, he was the best at that. He will learn and he will score a lot of goals and that will be good for Arsenal.”
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