Viktor Gyökeres will neither be as bad as Arsenal's last Swede nor as good as their third. But can he at least match their first of its kind?

Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons

by Alessandro Schiavone

Irrespective of Viktor Gyökeres' impact at the Emirates, he can hardly do worse than the last Swede to pull on the famous Gunners shirt.

A few eyebrows were raised when Arsène Wenger gambled on 31-year-old Spartak Moscow midfielder Kim Källström on January deadline day back in 2014.

Widely branded a 'panic signing', Källström was brought in to provide cover for Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere, Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey.

But with his best years already behind him, the loan move didn't work for either party. In fact he hardly pulled up any trees as Wenger came under fire for bringing in a spent force.

The legendary Frenchman almost immediately regretted the decision while in his heart of hearts Källström probably wondered why he did not move to the Premier League while still in his pomp.

And the Lyon legend subsequently left four months later after totaling only 135 minutes across four games, having started only one of those.

Equally, it's unlikely that Arsenal's new star striker eclipses the third Swede to sign for the club.

Having joined Wenger's champions in 1998 as an unknown 21-year-old youngster from Halmstads BK, Ljungberg became a household name in English football.

Remarkably, he proved a real handful down the wing, terrorizing defences with his movement, intensity and eye for goal.

In his nine seasons at the club, Ljungberg made a huge impact and went on to win two Premier League trophies and three FA Cups in a star-studded Arsenal side featuring Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp among others.

The narrative around Gyökeres is a bit different though.

Neither an unknown quantity like his illustrious forebear nor past-his-prime such as Källström, the new man from Sporting Lisbon joins with his reputation sky-high and everything to lose given his price tag and age (27).

The 54 goals he scored in 52 outings served notice of his killer instinct, something Arteta's men sorely missed in recent seasons. But those strikes also add pressure now.

And reputations in football, especially in the Premier League, go out the window if he is to embark on a lengthy scoreless run in autumn and fails to justify the price tag.

And the player also has to prove that he can cut it in an elite division.

Arsenal are a different kettle of fish to Sporting and Coventry City where Gyökeres scored freely but against lesser opposition.

In the coming years he will either be feted or castigated by media and fans.

Nobody expects him to deliver the same amount of trophies Ljungberg did. Not least if big rivals Liverpool add Alekander Isak to Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.

Yet if he can deliver just one Prem crown, to end a 22-year wait for league glory, he is assured of a place next to the Great Man in Arsenal folklore.

For advice he shall just pick up the phone and dial the number of Anders Limpar, the first player from Sverige to sign, play and win a league title at Highbury back in 1991.

That's the kind of middle ground and legacy Arsenal supporters would be content with.