Gyokeres can help Arsenal’s “unbelievable” star reach Mesut Ozil’s level

It might be early, but momentum is starting to grow and Arsenal are well and truly on a roll at the moment.

In the Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s side are three points clear of Manchester City in second place, and in the Champions League, they are undefeated.

More than that, they are thriving on the biggest stage, thrashing Spanish giants Atlético Madrid 4-0 on Tuesday night in a game Viktor Gyokeres came to life in.

The Swedish international is starting to silence the critics, and if he keeps it up, he could help another of Arteta’s signings reach the levels of Mesut Özil by season’s end.

Gyokeres’ start to life at Arsenal

There was an awful lot of pressure placed on Gyokeres coming into this season, as rightly or wrongly, one of the most prominent narratives around Arsenal over the last year or so is that they are a prolific forward away from glory.

So when he looked completely off the pace in the opening game against Manchester United, there was plenty of discussion over whether he was the right signing.

Fortunately, he would score a brace in the next league game against Leeds United, and while he once again blanked against Liverpool, he got another in gameweek four, against Nottingham Forest.

These three goals kept the heat off the former Sporting CP star’s back for a period, but a total lack of goals or assists across his subsequent seven appearances – nine if you include Sweden – saw him come back into the firing line.

However, while critics were certainly right to point out his lack of goals, he wasn’t a passenger in those matches and still very much contributed to the team.

For example, he continued to make penetrative runs in behind, which not only gave defenders more space to Bukayo Saka on the right but also opened up more opportunities for other players to get into goalscoring positions.

Moreover, as he’s built up his fitness, he’s been able to make more use of his physicality, which was on full display against Atleti and Olympiacos.

Against both teams, the 6-foot-2 “steam train,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, constantly bullied and barged his way past their backline.

Finally, according to FBref, he ranks in the top 9% of forwards in the Premier League this season for touches in the penalty area.

In other words, while his finishing hasn’t been ideal, the 27-year-old “powerhouse,” as dubbed by Mattinson, is now consistently getting into the areas a top-quality striker should be.

This was also on display on Wednesday, as while neither one of his goals was aesthetically pleasing, they came from him being in the right place at the right time – a fox in the box.

In all, it’s not been the easiest of introductions for Gyokeres so far this season, but with each game, he has become more of a threat, and now that he has rediscovered his finishing ability, he could help another Arsenal star reach Ozil levels.

The Arsenal star who could reach Ozil levels

Now, when it comes to what made Ozil such an incredible player for Arsenal, there really are countless things you could talk about.

While things didn’t end in the best way, the German international was a world-class creator on his day, and his impressive tally of 77 assists in 254 games for the club proves as much.

So, when it comes to a player who could reach those levels under Gyokeres, there are a few possible options.

However, with Martin Odegaard suffering injury after injury at the moment and Saka ideally becoming more of a goalscorer this term, that leaves Eberechi Eze.

After all, even though the former Crystal Palace star is no stranger to scoring goals himself, it’s no secret that Arteta and Co signed him to bring even more creativity to the side as he did for the South Londoners.

For example, in 34 league games last season, he provided eight assists alongside his eight goals.

Moreover, according to FBref, he was in the top 11% of attacking midfielders and wingers for shot-creating actions in the competition.

So, while he is still getting up to speed with life at the Emirates, there is no denying that the 27-year-old “magician,” as dubbed by Micah Richards, is someone who will end up creating plenty of chances this season.

Therefore, if Gyokeres continues to show the improvements he has over the last few games, and starts putting chances away like he did on Wednesday, then there is no telling just how many assists the “unbelievable” Englishman, as dubbed by Oliver Glasner, will end up with this season.

Ultimately, nobody is going to claim Eze is as talented a footballer as Ozil was at his peak, but in this current Arsenal team, with the Stockholm-born monster up top, he could start producing the numbers he once did.