Man Utd Legend Scholes Questions If Gyökeres Was Arteta’s Ideal Striker Signing at Arsenal

Paul Scholes Voices Doubts Over Arsenal’s Choice in Gyokeres: “Was He Really the One Arteta Wanted?”

Paul Scholes isn’t convinced Arsenal have nailed it in the striker department, and he’s not shy about saying so. As Viktor Gyökeres settles into life in north London following his £64 million move from Sporting Lisbon, the Manchester United legend has raised serious questions about whether the Gunners have truly secured the centre-forward they needed.

Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes reflected on Arsenal’s high-profile chase for a number nine this summer, and why Gyökeres, despite his phenomenal numbers (97 in 102 matches for Sporting), may not be the ideal fit for Mikel Arteta's tactical vision.

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“There was a lot of back and forth about it,” Scholes said. “I wondered if Mikel Arteta really wanted him, was he the number one target? I’m not too sure.”

It’s a fair question. The Swedish international arrived at the Emirates after a storming 2024-25 season in Portugal, having scored an eye-popping 52 goals in 54 appearances across all competitions.

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His record at Sporting was impossible to ignore, including a memorable hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League. But despite the gaudy stats, Scholes sees a mismatch in playing style.

“He’s had a strange career path, Brighton, Coventry, and then he explodes at Sporting,” Scholes said. “But with Sporting Lisbon, he was playing a lot on the counter-attack. Arsenal dominate the ball most weeks. So is he clever enough to make the kind of runs a possession-heavy team needs?”

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This is the central concern. While Gyökeres is physically imposing, rapid, and direct, a freight train on the break, Arsenal tend to demand guile and subtlety from their forwards. Scholes compared him to Alexander Isak, who has shown in the Premier League that he can marry creativity with clever movement.

Paul Scholes surprisingly wonders if Gyokeres will fit into Arteta's system.

“Is he going to be that clever striker? We know Isak can do that. Can Gyökeres?” Scholes asked pointedly.

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There’s also the matter of who actually pushed the transfer over the line. Jamie Carragher chimed in during the discussion, referencing a column he read that hinted the move was orchestrated more by Arsenal’s new sporting director, Andrea Berta, than by Arteta himself.

“The club were chasing [Benjamin] Šeško for half the year,” Carragher said. “Then it changes. Berta comes in, and suddenly it’s Gyökeres. That shift, it says something about how much control Arteta has in recruitment.”

Indeed, Arsenal’s striker saga wasn’t short of twists. They were linked with a handful of names across Europe before finally landing on Gyökeres, who, despite his obvious quality, still feels like something of a wild card.

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However, Scholes acknowledged that if there’s a team equipped to feed a striker chances, it’s Arsenal. “If there’s any team that could get the best out of him, it’s probably them,” he admitted. “They create so much. Maybe he’ll surprise us.”

For now, Gyökeres has much to prove. The number 14 shirt he wears is loaded with history, with Thierry Henry’s legacy looming large at the Emirates.

Whether the Swede can carve out a story of his own will depend on how well he can evolve beyond the breakneck chaos of counter-attacks and into the measured, calculated rhythm that Arsenal demand. One thing’s for certain: all eyes will be on him when the Premier League kicks off.