Arsenal news: 'Arsenal could have already won the Premier League without Gyokeres' claims Liverpool icon

Viktor Gyokeres has endured a degree of inconsistency since joining Arsenal. With the Gunners battling on two fronts in the final weeks of the season, chasing both the Premier League title and a place in the Champions League semi-finals, the Swedish striker is under growing pressure to rediscover his best form.

Smicer claims Schick would have already delivered the title

Former Liverpool midfielder Vladimir Smicer believes Arsenal would have been better served signing Patrik Schick from Bayer Leverkusen rather than Gyokeres. Speaking to BetVictor, the Czech football legend argued that Schick's superior finishing ability would have already handed Mikel Arteta's side the Premier League trophy.

"Patrik Schick is a classic goalscorer," Smicer told. "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."

Despite Arsenal sitting nine points clear at the top of the table, the decision to sign the striker from Sporting for around £60m continues to attract debate. The 2004-05 Champions League winner acknowledges that Gyokeres has improved in the second half of the season, but argues that his early struggles highlighted a lack of clinical edge that Schick would not have brought.

"With the same chances, he would have scored many more goals. I'm sure of that, because he's a much better finisher. I'd still love to see him in the Premier League," Smicer added.

Gyokeres looking to prove his worth

Gyokeres has scored 17 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal, but only five of those came in the Premier League in his first six months at the club, a record that has drawn sustained criticism. His most recent goal did not prevent a damaging FA Cup defeat to Southampton, and he was unable to get on the scoresheet during Arsenal's 1-0 first-leg win over Sporting in the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Gunners return to Premier League action on Saturday when they host 13th-placed Bournemouth before welcoming Sporting back to the Emirates for the second leg of their European tie.