Mean Murray Doesn’t Mince His Words

Glenn Murray on Gyokeres – Because Nothing Says "Expert Opinion" Like 13 Premier League Goals in a Season Once

So, Glenn Murray's had his say on Viktor Gyokeres. The verdict? "Didn't see him as a £64 million striker. He was… all right."

Well, thanks for that, Glenn. This is coming from a man who didn't play in the Premier League until he was 28, spent most of his career bouncing between the Championship and League One, and still somehow thinks he's the oracle on top-tier striking talent.

Let's get the receipts out, shall we?

Premier League stats:

• Glenn Murray: 148 games, 37 goals, 1 season in double figures (2018/19 with Brighton – 13 goals, the high-water mark of his career).
• Viktor Gyokeres: 0 Premier League games… but 97 goals in 102 games at Sporting Lisbon, 2 consecutive league titles, 2 golden boots, 1 domestic cup.

Yes, Gyokeres hasn't yet kicked a ball in the Prem in Arsenal colours—but when it comes to pedigree, he's arriving off the back of numbers Murray couldn't even dream of.

Let's also remember: Murray was a late bloomer. He wasn't banging in goals at 22; he was working his way up from Barrow, Carlisle, Stockport and Brighton's League One days. Fair play to him for grinding his way to the top, but let's not pretend he was exactly Didier Drogba out there.

And here's the irony—Gyokeres is also a late developer. He was "all right" when he arrived at Brighton, which, funnily enough, is exactly what you'd have said about Glenn Murray in his early twenties. The difference? Gyokeres exploded into a world-class finisher in Portugal, while Murray's big break was being slightly less immobile than expected for Brighton in a relegation scrap.

Mikel Arteta sees Gyokeres's Brighton bench-warming days as the making of him. Murray sees them as proof he'll flop. Maybe that's because Murray knows better than most how hard it is to go from "all right" to "actually good" in the Premier League—and maybe he's not entirely sure Gyokeres can outdo his own rags-to-OK story.

But here's the thing: Gyokeres doesn't need to be "all right." He needs to be lethal. And if he starts rattling them in against the big boys, Glenn Murray's opinion will be worth about as much as his FA Cup winner's medal.

Spoiler: he doesn't have one.