Rio Ferdinand and Gary Lineker disagree on Viktor Gyokeres Arsenal theory

Rio Ferdinand and Gary Lineker Debate Viktor Gyokeres' Arsenal Performance

Viktor Gyokeres scored his fourth Premier League goal of the season on Saturday, contributing to Arsenal's 2-0 away victory over Burnley, a team currently positioned in the league's bottom five.

Despite this, Gary Lineker has expressed concerns that Gyokeres must start scoring in more high-profile matches, while Rio Ferdinand dismisses the label of 'flat-track bully' that has been attached to the striker.

Gyokeres' Scoring Record

Criticism and Defense

"I don't want to call him a flat-track bully, that's a bit unfair," said Gary Lineker on The Rest Is Football. "The criticism that people perhaps would say is that what he did in Portugal, he didn't really score many goals against the top teams, and so far his goals have been against Burnley, Forest and Leeds."
"He needs to do it in some of the big games, but I think he's had a reasonable start," Lineker added.

Gyokeres’ earlier career at Sporting Lisbon featured 97 goals in 102 games, though similar criticisms about underperformance against big teams were present then as well.

Summary

While Gyokeres is praised for a solid start at Arsenal, his ability to score in crucial matches remains under scrutiny, sparking debate among experts.

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Football London Football London — 2025-11-04

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