Arsenal Superstar Told He ‘Is Not in the Same League’ as Man City Ace Erling Haaland

Arsenal stayed atop the Premier League after a win over Everton, but the Gunners still face pressure from Manchester City, which sits just two points behind.

Beyond the ongoing Arteta-Guardiola rivalry, both clubs are dominating the title race, with Aston Villa trailing in third place. This has also set up a new individual contest between strikers Viktor Gyokeres and Erling Haaland, who are both highly skilled but viewed by some as distinctly different.

Viktor Gyokeres Dismissed As Below Erling Haaland’s Level

On “The Rest is Football” podcast (via Metro), Gary Lineker said Haaland could be the “difference maker” in the title race, believing City’s top scorer operates on a ‘completely different level’ from Gyokeres. Haaland scored twice in Saturday’s 3-0 win over West Ham, raising his Premier League tally to 19 goals in 17 games and matching his career-best form.

“Erling Haaland has already got 19 goals in the Premier League, and he scored a bucketload for Norway in the [World Cup] qualifying games. It’s incredible what he’s doing. I mean, he could ultimately be the difference between Man City and Arsenal this season,” Lineker said.

“Viktor Gyokeres has come in and I look at him and I don’t want to be rude but he’s not in the same league as Haaland. He was given the penalty against Everton to try and get him scoring again after his recent injury and it was good to see him step up.”

The 25-year-old, a two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, has further enhanced his influence with excellent performances for Norway this year, scoring an impressive 38 goals in all competitions and playing a key role in the campaign that secured direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

Arsenal still expects Gyokeres, who joined for £64 million in the summer transfer window, to provide consistent goal-scoring — a need the team has faced due to a lack of a dedicated striker in recent years. This issue notably contributed to their title loss to Liverpool in the 2024/25 season, and Gyokeres was brought in to address it; however, his impact so far has fallen short of expectations.

Gyokeres produced impressive numbers at Sporting, scoring 97 goals in 102 games last season as the club secured both the Portuguese league title and the League Cup. Since moving to the Premier League, he has faced a higher level of competition and has yet to replicate that success, managing only seven goals in 20 games for Arsenal, which has led to scrutiny over his adaptation and overall impact.