Sam Allardyce Ranks Chelsea and Liverpool Strikers Above Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres

Sam Allardyce claims Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike are better than Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres, ranking the Swede eighth among Premier League strikers.

Former England manager Sam Allardyce has stirred debate by claiming that Chelsea’s Joao Pedro and Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike are better than Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres, Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Show, Allardyce ranked Gyokeres eighth in his list of top Premier League strikers ranking this season.

Allardyce placed Erling Haaland at the top of his list, followed by Alexander Isak and Jean-Philippe Mateta. Both Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike were rated higher than Gyokeres, who was listed in eighth position.

Here’s Allardyce’s full ranking:

• Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
• Alexander Isak (Liverpool)
• Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)
• Joao Pedro (Chelsea)
• Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool)
• Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest)
• Yoane Wissa (Brentford)
• Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal)
• Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
• Liam Delap (Manchester City)

Gyokeres joined Arsenal from Sporting CP for £64 million during the summer. Despite an excellent record of 97 goals in 102 games in Portugal, his Premier League performance has been inconsistent, with only three goals in ten appearances.

Allardyce questioned whether Gyokeres can deliver the goals needed for a Premier League title challenge:

“Is he going to be good enough to get Arsenal the title? They need to win; there’s big pressure on them,” Allardyce said.

In contrast, Allardyce was full of praise for Chelsea’s Joao Pedro and Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike.

Pedro, who joined Chelsea from Brighton for £60 million, has enjoyed a strong start with five goals and three assists in 12 league matches. He also scored in Chelsea’s Club World Cup final victory against PSG.

Ekitike, signed from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth up to £79 million, has impressed with five goals, including a winner in the Merseyside derby. Despite a controversial red card in the Carabao Cup, Allardyce described him as “another big player for Liverpool.”

Allardyce’s Final Verdict

Allardyce highlighted the current shortage of elite strikers in world football but praised the Premier League for its attacking depth:

“I’d like to see a lot more strikers in the Premier League than there are now. But there does seem to be a shortage worldwide,” he added.

While Viktor Gyokeres still has time to prove his worth at Arsenal, Allardyce’s rankings suggest that, for now, Chelsea and Liverpool boast the stronger attacking options.

Want more Arsenal updates? Visit our homepage.

All links on ArsenalTalks Shop are affiliate links. We may earn commissions that support our content—at no extra cost to you. Read our full Affiliate Disclosure for more information.