'The ball bounces off him!' - Viktor Gyokeres challenged to improve his '6/10' performances at Arsenal as Sweden legend tells him to learn from Kai Havertz

Gyokeres has become a focal point of the Arsenal attack since joining from Sporting CP for £55m last summer, but club icon Limpar believes the forward is still a work in progress. While his physical presence has troubled Premier League defenders, questions remain regarding his ability to link play effectively in Mikel Arteta’s system.

The transition to the pace of English football has seen Gyokeres oscillate between dominant displays and anonymous outings. Limpar suggests that for the striker to truly establish himself as a world-class operator, he must address specific deficiencies in his ball retention.

Despite his status as a fan favorite due to his relentless running, the statistics suggest Gyokeres has yet to find his clinical edge consistently. In a total of 39 appearances in all competitions this season, the 27-year-old has only scored 15 goals, with his 10 Premier League strikes leaving him behind Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike (11), Chelsea's Joao Pedro (14), Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo (15), Brentford striker Igor Thiago (18) and City star Erling Haaland (22).

"I’d score Viktor Gyokeres six out of 10 for his season so far," Limpar told FruityKing. "He has been absolutely tremendous in some days, like in the North London derby when he scored two and was man of the match, but between those games, it’s not been so good."

"If you’re a striker and you’re being substituted in the 67th minute a couple of games, then you’re no good. His work rate for a centre-forward is tremendous. [But] I would say Gyokeres deserves a strong six for the season so far. In my opinion, with all the world class players Arsenal have, Gyokeres should have scored more goals."

The debate surrounding Arsenal’s No.9 role often pits Gyokeres’ raw power against the refined skill sets of his team-mates. Limpar believes the former Sporting man should look toward the technical proficiency of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus to round out his game.

"We see the ball bounce off him too much sometimes," Limpar noted. "He needs to improve the technical sides of his game. In my view, Gabriel Jesus is not even close to Viktor in terms of his goalscoring ability but on the other hand Viktor is not even close to Jesus and his technique. He is so smooth. He receives the ball well. He brings people into the game. We’ve seen that from Jesus when he’s fit. He can be unbelievable on the ball."

"Viktor needs to look at Kai Havertz. When they play the ball to Havertz he never ever loses the ball and that’s the best achievement you can have as a player, and it’s best asset Havertz has, but he is not as quick as Viktor and he doesn’t have Viktor’s nose for scoring goals. If Viktor can improve the technical side of his game, focus on technique every day in training, on receiving the ball and keeping it and getting more involved in play a little bit more, he can be one of the great Arsenal players."

Gyokeres still has time to prove his critics wrong. With Arsenal currently sitting atop the Premier League table, seven points clear of Manchester City, the Swedish striker will undoubtedly be looking to lead the Gunners to their first English title in over 20 years.

Arteta's side now enter a crucial final stretch of the season, with their first challenge coming against Everton on Saturday. They will then face Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie, with the first leg ending in a 1-1 draw.

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