Brought in to fill the void at centre-forward following injuries to Matt Godden and Tyler Walker, Viktor Gyokeres’ form at Coventry City could well be decisive in the team staying in the Championship – and maybe even kicking on. Prolific at a young age in the Swedish second division, Gyokeres earned a move to Brighton & Hove Albion, and has occasionally been part of the first-team squad. A loan spell alongside Leo Ostigard at St Pauli last season was where Gyokeres made a name for himself, scoring seven times and assisting four in 26 appearances and earning a call-up to the Swedish national side. A loan at Swansea City this season was less successful, but there is enough evidence otherwise to suggest that Gyokeres is a reasonable loan signing for a club in our position in the Championship.
Although he stands at six foot two, Gyokeres’ game is less about his physicality than it is his pace, technical ability and link play. While he couldn’t get in a Swansea City side this season that had forwards who excelled more in those aspects, Gyokeres’ technical ability made him an effective wide forward in the 2.Bundesliga (a comparable division to the Championship) last year. As much as Gyokeres has yet to prove himself as an out-and-out centre-forward of a Championship standard, he has the raw materials to be effective there while having shown that he can be effective as part of an attacking unit.
Whether it’s as the lone centre-forward, in a strike partnership, or even as part of a front three, Gyokeres provides Mark Robins with options in attack that were previously not available for him. There is the talent there to suggest that Gyokeres can be an effective player at Championship level, however, he arrives with no guarantee that he is ready to be the player that we need him to be. For all the potential, Gyokeres isn’t the ideal solution to our issues in attack – not least because he is the sixth loan player we currently have on our books – but we have to be aware that January isn’t rarely a time where ideal solutions are available and that we’re not in a position as a club at this level to bring guaranteed performers in. It is up to Mark Robins to get the best out of a talented young player in Gyokeres who possesses an intriguing combination of skills.
Sideways Sammy 