One shot in 163 minutes – but Arsenal would still be crazy to sell Gyokeres

17 Sept 2026 19:58 BST | 4 min read

Suraj Radia | Editor

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Despite being the club’s top scorer during their best season in more than 20 years, Viktor Gyokeres is fast becoming a forgotten figure at Arsenal but getting rid of the striker could be a devastating mistake by Mikel Arteta.

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Gyokeres scored 21 times in all competitions during his first year at the club after his €67 million arrival last summer – the most of any Arsenal player in a single campaign since 2020 – but he has played just 12 minutes of Premier League football this season.

Current ETV

Viktor Gyökeres

F (C)

Arsenal

Viktor Gyökeres

F (C)

Arsenal

ETV Range

€44.3M - €54.1M

Arteta has preferred the physical presence of Kai Havertz up front, with Gyokeres still unconvincing as a hold up player or providing an impact against teams who sit deep and mark him out the game.

Gyokeres had been chances to impress in the Champions League against Napoli and the Carabao Cup versus Ipswich but 163 minutes in both games yielded a combined total of 27 touches and one shot on goal for the 28-year-old.

Arsenal had been in the market for an attacking player in the summer such as Julian Alvarez, which would have likely seen Gyokeres moved on, and there the Swedish international’s long-term future at the Emirates looks bleak.

However, Gyokeres’ goalscoring ability came in clutch for Arsenal last season and, over the course of a season, a player with his instincts will undoubtedly prove invaluable to the Gunners in a title race if they continue to keep the faith in their misfiring star.

Viktor Gyokeres: Arsenal's secret weapon who still has a crucial role to play for Mikel Arteta

Gyokeres also started last season in slow fashion, netting just seven times before January in all competitions, however the second half of the campaign saw him score 14 times, including in six Premier League games, of which Arsenal won five.

© IMAGO - Viktor Gyokeres has had a slow start to the season for Arsenal.

In particular, Gyokeres proved effective when Havertz was still recovering from a series of injury issues and, with the German having played less than 30 games in five of his six seasons in the Premier League, his fitness is something that needs to be managed.

Having proven decisive in big games such as the North London derby last season, Gyokeres is perhaps Arsenal’s only forward who will look to score first and charge into the box at a time when the Gunners prefer to slow the pace down.

While his style of play may be contrasting to Arteta’s overall vision – which is why Gyokeres’ long-term future will always be in question – a true goalscoring number nine is an asset that Arsenal have lacked for many years and it is no coincidence that they won the Premier League after finally signing a player in that mould.

If Gyokeres is to be judged by his ability to be the best forward to start every game in Arsenal’s overall system then he will likely be seen as replaceable and not up to standard.

However, if he is seen for his strengths of poaching and occupying defenders, particularly off the bench, Gyokeres' record as a goalscorer gives assurance that he can win points for the Gunners in a season of more than 50 games which will have many highs and lows.

Arsenal will be expected to look for opportunities to upgrade on Gyokeres in January, as they did in the summer, but unless a player like Alvarez is available, Arteta knows he has a capable secret weapon in the Swede who can be trusted to come up big when his side needs it most.