Mikel Arteta told Arsenal should have signed £26m striker instead of Viktor Gyokeres

Liverpool hero Vladimir Smicer believes Arsenal ‘might have won the Premier League already’ had they signed a £26m striker instead of Viktor Gyokeres.

Gyokeres has had a mixed first season at Arsenal following his £64m move from Sporting last summer, scoring 17 goals in all competitions.

There was serious concerns over the Sweden international after he netted just five Premier League goals in the first six months of the season, but Gyokeres has at least improved his output since January with 14 goals for club and country.

Doubts remain over Gyokeres’ long-term viability as Arsenal’s first-choice striker, however, and the Gunners are believed to be interested in signing a new No. 9 this summer.

Mikel Arteta hoped Gyokeres would be the final piece of the jigsaw in an Arsenal team that had finished second in the Premier League for three successive season.

Despite the question marks over Gyokeres, he has played a part in taking Arsenal nine points clear at the top of the Premier League and on the verge of a Champions League semi-final.

But former Liverpool star Smicer believes Arsenal would already virtually be Premier League champions if they had Patrik Schick leading the line instead of Gyokeres.

‘Patrik Schick is a classic goalscorer,’ the Champions League winner told BetVictor. ‘In the box, he’s very, very clever and he can finish from all angles.

‘His left foot is really good. Unfortunately for him, he’s suffered a lot from muscle injuries.

‘If Schick had joined Arsenal instead of Viktor Gyokeres, I think they might have won the Premier League title already.

‘With the same chances, he would have scored a lot more goals. I’m certain of that because he is a much better finisher. I’d still like to see him in the Premier League.’

Schick has scored 97 goals in 203 appearances for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen and 25 goals in 52 caps for Czech Republic.

His most famous goal – an incredible strike from the halfway line – was scored against Scotland in Euro 2020 and voted the Goal of the Tournament and nominated for the Puskas Award.

The 30-year-old has previously been linked with a move to the Premier League with Manchester United among the interested clubs last summer.

Arsenal still had an outside chance of a historic quadruple this time last month but Arteta’s side fell short in the two domestic cup competitions.

A disappointing Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City was followed by a shock FA Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Championship side Southampton.

Arsenal remain firm favourites to win their first Premier League title since 2004, however, boasting a nine-point lead over Man City ahead of Saturday’s clash against Bournemouth.

The Gunners also have one foot in the semi-finals of the Champions League after beating Sporting 1-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie in Lisbon.

Smicer is certainly not the only pundit to question Gyokeres, with his former Liverpool teammate Jamie Carragher recently urging Arsenal to sign a new striker in the summer.

Atletico Madrid striker and former Manchester City star Julian Alvarez is believed to be of interest to Arsenal ahead of the summer transfer window.

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