Former Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant has warned the club’s fans not too expect too much from new signing Viktor Gyokeres.
The ex-Gunner is concerned that it wasn’t the best debut for the Sweden international as he made his Premier League bow in the 1-0 win away to Manchester United at the weekend.
Riccardo Calafiori scored early on as Arsenal ground out a hard-fought victory when Man Utd were probably the better side overall, with Gyokeres not making much of an impact.
Pennant now feels we might see Gyokeres struggling in English football due to the standard being so much higher than it was in the Portuguese league.
See below as the pundit warned Arsenal fans not to expect the former Sporting Lisbon man to repeat the kind of numbers he had in Portugal…
? "The Premier League is a different beast!"
Ex-Arsenal man Jermaine Pennant with a strong warning for new #AFC signing Viktor Gyokeres ? pic.twitter.com/NqhmfiGX6z
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) August 19, 2025
Jermaine Pennant on Viktor Gyokeres in the Premier League
“There’s a player there,” Pennant said. “And yes his numbers in the Portuguese league were phenomenal.”
“But … so was Darwin Nunez. His numbers was 35 goals in 38 games, but we didn’t see those kinds of figures at all in the Premier League.
“The Premier League is a different beast – the intensity is a lot higher, the physicality is a lot harder, better players all round.
“It’s going to be difficult … he will do well, but Arsenal fans shouldn’t expect the numbers he was pulling up at Sporting.”
Arsenal take on Leeds next
Arsenal fans won’t be too bothered about their team’s performance as they took away all three points from a difficult trip to Old Trafford.
Next up is an easier game as Mikel Arteta’s game host Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium.
Still, it’s a difficult start overall as Arsenal will then take on Liverpool away from home, so Arteta will need to see more from his players in that Leeds game to give him confidence of getting anything from a trip to Anfield.