Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has given credit to the improved form of Viktor Gyokeres in recent games after a particularly strong display in last night’s Champions League semi-final.
The Sweden international scored twice in the win over Fulham at the weekend, and though he didn’t find the back of the net against Atletico Madrid, he worked tirelessly all night long and proved a real handful for Diego Simeone’s side.
Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
Henry admits he’s been critical of Gyokeres at times, but he now feels that the former Sporting Lisbon man is proving him and his other critics wrong by becoming more of a real number 9 that opponents fear.
Watch below for Henry’s analysis…
Thierry Henry gives the Arsenal team their flowers after they make their first #UCL final since he played for the club in 2006 ??? pic.twitter.com/dlZpHPO1tm
— CBS Sports Golazo ?? (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 5, 2026
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY
Thierry Henry on Viktor Gyokeres
Discussing Gyokeres, Henry said: “You know, I’m old school, show me what you can do and I’ll say it.
“If you’re not playing well I’ll say you’re not playing well. For a very long time, for example, if I take the example of Gyokeres, the jury was out on him.
“It’s not a bad thing – embrace it, try to prove people wrong. Tonight he did, not only tonight but in the last month.
“I will give him his credit. He’s running, he looks solid, he looks a bit more like a number 9 you can be scared of.”
The Frenchman also praised Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and the players for seeming to adapt better to Gyokeres by looking for him early and doing more to get the best out of his strengths.
Viktor Gyokeres’ first Arsenal season in numbers
| Gyokeres stats | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Arsenal 2025/26 | 51 | 21 | 3 |
Gyokeres hasn’t always looked that convincing in a red and white shirt, having been an absolute goal machine at former club Sporting.
Still, the 27-year-old has managed an impressive 21 goals in 51 games in all competitions, which isn’t bad considering it’s his first season with a new club in a new league.
Gyokeres has also managed five goals in the Champions League to help the Gunners reach only their second ever final.
Yes I’m a fan of this hard working old school #9
He is not a refined technical player he is a Bull in a China shop so set your expectations to fit who he is and start to play to his strengths and see where it takes us . For his part he is putting in a shift every time he is out on the pitch, he craves the players and fans exceptance and is really winning them over in my opinion.Running the channels and being that target 9 we have needed can bring success to our next few seasons let’s support this guy if he continues in this vein of performances .
I will like to coogratulate all arsenal fans , coaching and the management
Gyokeres is a beast of a striker ..He has started proving all his critics wrong… For the game last Night, what a performance from all our boys. Beating this Atletico Madrid team is no mean feat. Now we go on to the final to win our first UCL trophy. It is coming home, together with the EPL title. COYG.
By the grace of god we take all the title