Rio Ferdinand calls for patience for Arsenal’s new signing

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·19 Agustus 2025

Rio Ferdinand calls for patience for Arsenal’s new signing

Rio Ferdinand has urged patience with Viktor Gyökeres, insisting it is unfair to judge the striker after just one match. The Swedish forward endured a difficult debut in Arsenal’s season opener against Manchester United, where he struggled to make an impact in a tightly contested game.

Gyökeres had long sought a move to Arsenal, but an agreement was only finalised in the final weeks of pre-season. In order to force through the transfer, he stopped training with his former club, meaning he joined the Gunners with limited preparation. Having only trained with his new teammates for a short period, he was nonetheless selected as the starting striker in the clash at Old Trafford.

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A Difficult Debut

The match itself was a challenging introduction. Arsenal adopted a more defensive approach in their narrow victory, which left Gyökeres isolated and without the kind of service he would normally thrive upon. Given his prolific record in Portugal and the significant investment Arsenal made to secure his signing, expectations among supporters were high, and criticism has inevitably followed.

The forward has acknowledged that he found the game difficult, but Ferdinand believes too much is being made of one performance. Speaking via the Daily Mail, he said:

“I think [what Arsenal will ask of him] is when the ball gets into the penalty area, where are you going to find space to score goals and can you execute? How many times do we see that Odegaard/Saka combination get to the byline and you just need a number nine to finish that chance off? That’s where he is going to earn his money and that’s how he will be judged. But you have to give someone time [to prove themselves] and you can’t judge someone after the first game.”

Viktor Gyokeres (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Time to Settle

Ferdinand’s comments highlight the reality that even top-level players require time to adapt to a new club, system and league. While Gyökeres did not shine in his first appearance, he has many more opportunities ahead to prove his quality and justify Arsenal’s decision to make him their first-choice striker.

Supporters and pundits alike will be eager to see how he progresses, but Ferdinand’s message is clear: judgment should be reserved until the striker has had sufficient time to settle into his new surroundings.

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