“He just now needs to do his talking on the pitch” - Martin Keown delivers verdict on ‘emphatic’ Arsenal transfer target

Former Arsenal footballer Martin Keown has given his verdict on the Gunners reportedly closing in on Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres. The Arsenal legend welcomed the move, opining that he could solve Mikel Arteta's side's goalscoring woes.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Keown said that Gyokeres was a good option to lead the attack and claimed he was exactly what they needed. He added that the striker now had to prove himself with Arsenal and said (via TBR Football):

“There’s not a lot wrong with the squad but they needed to add in certain positions, we’ve been crying out for a centre-forward due to the injuries that they had. This guy (Gyokeres) you know is rock solid, you can play the ball into him, he holds it up well, he has pace, power and I think he’s quite emphatic in front of goal — just what Arsenal need. He just now needs to do his talking on the pitch.”

The comments come just months after Keown hit out at the Gunners for not signing a striker. He claimed it was the main reason why they crashed out of the UEFA Champions League. He said after their loss to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the UEFA Champions League semifinal (via Mirror):

"Arsenal can be proud of what they have done this season in our second year back in the Champions League. But it has caught up with us that we don't have a proper centre-forward, two of them are out tonight."

Mikel Arteta's side have reportedly agreed personal terms with Viktor Gyokeres and are locked in talks with Sporting CP (via Fabrizio Romano). The striker is willing to take a paycut to push for the move.

Troy Deeney wants Arsenal to sign PL star over Viktor Gyokeres

Former Watford striker Troy Deeney, on talkSPORT in June, expressed his surprise that Arsenal were not chasing Yoane Wissa. He claimed that the Brentford star was an ideal fit for Mikel Arteta's side and said (via METRO):

"Do you know one player who isn’t linked? I was just thinking about this… who out there could they get done? Let’s say Arsenal don’t want to spend more £60-65m… what about Wissa from Brentford? He’s not even been linked. I think he fits Mikel Arteta going across that front three, he can go anywhere. It just feels a little bit like they don’t want to get the striker, that’s my initial feeling."

Viktor Gyokeres is reportedly Arteta's Plan B after they failed to agree a deal for Benjamin Sesko. The Gunners were put off by the €100 million asking price set by RB Leipzig, as per Sky Germany.