Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published Tuesday, December 30, 2025, 8:48 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, December 30, 2025, 8:49 p.m.
Jermaine Pennant, former England player who turned out for Arsenal and Liverpool, said in an interview for a British newspaper that he is not surprised by the difficulties that Victor Gyokeres welcomes them to impose himself on the “gunners”.
The Swedish striker, the protagonist of a real soap opera last summer to leave Sporting and reach the Premier League, scored just seven goals in 20 games for the Londoners, figures that have already started to worry the Premier League leader.
Jermaine Pennant on Viktor Gyokeres: “People can't expect him to have the same numbers as in Portugal”
“People can't expect Viktor to have the same numbers as he did in Portugal. At Benfica, Darwin Nunez also scored a lot of goals, he came to Liverpool, he didn't score and even so, I think he was a useful player and did a good job at the club. Adapting to the Premier League can take some time and so far Gyokeres has done well.
Arsenal are leading, he has already scored a few goals and contributed to the team. I think, for example, that Ollie Watkins [atacantul lui Aston Villa] he would have suited Arsenal's style better, but does that mean it was a mistake to sign Gyokeres? No, of course not,” said the former footballer, according to abola.pt.
“Just a few years ago, Gyokeres was playing in the Championship and the truth is that there is a big difference between the Portuguese league and the Premier League,” he concluded.
Viktor Gyokeres hasn't scored as much as he used to and is already a cause for concern in England. From 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting in the 2024-205 season, Gyokeres has just seven so far at Arsenal in 20 games played for the Gunners. The Swede has also played at Brommapojkarna in Sweden, Brighton, St. Pauli, Swansea, Coventry and Sporting. It is quoted at 70 million euros by specialized websites.
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Jermaine Pennant has played for Arsenal, Watford, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Zaragoza, Stoke, Wolves, Pune City and Wigan
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