Premier League legend predicts Viktor Gyökeres will regain form but fall short of Sporting goal record after Arsenal’s win over Fulham

Alan Shearer has backed Viktor Gyökeres to rediscover his scoring form for Arsenal but warned that the striker is unlikely to reach the prolific heights he achieved with Sporting CP last season.

Gyökeres joined Arsenal from the Portuguese giants in a £64 million deal during the summer transfer window and made an impressive start, netting three goals in his first four Premier League appearances. However, the 27-year-old has since struggled in front of goal, failing to score in his last seven matches across all competitions under Mikel Arteta.

During Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 victory over Fulham on Saturday, the Swedish forward missed a golden opportunity from close range, prompting renewed criticism of his composure and technical ability at the top level.

Despite this, Shearer praised Gyökeres for his overall contribution to Arsenal’s play, highlighting his strength, movement, and ability to bring others into the game. Nevertheless, the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer dismissed any suggestion that Gyökeres could replicate his extraordinary tally of 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting last season.

“He’s not in the same bracket as the three we showed earlier – Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappé – far from it,” Shearer said on BBC’s Match of the Day. “But he offers something different. He’s strong, he works hard, and he’ll get back to scoring soon. Just don’t expect the same numbers he managed in Portugal.”