Viktor Gyokeres will decide Arsenal's title fate

Steve Kay

• 7 Apr 2026 11:01 CDT
• 3 min read

Analysis

There comes a point in every title race when everything simplifies. For Arsenal, that moment is now, and it revolves around their Swedish hitman Viktor Gyokeres.

With seven games left, Mikel Arteta’s side are still in control of the Premier League title race, but recent performances have shown signs of fatigue and pressure creeping in after being comfortably beaten in the Carabao Cup final by Manchester City and embarrassed by Southampton in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup over the weekend.

That’s exactly why Gyokeres is now Arsenal’s most important player.

When Arsenal paid €65.8 million to sign Gyokeres from Sporting CP, the expectation was clear: he would be the striker to deliver the title. The season hasn’t been perfect, he’s had quiet games and he's been criticised for not always being involved. But the most important thing hasn’t changed, he scores goals.

His overall play might divide opinion, but his output doesn’t.

He is Arsenal’s top scorer this season, with 17 goals in all competitions, and he has been one of the Premier League’s most in-form forwards in 2026.

Since the turn of the year, he has quietly become one of the Gunners' most reliable match-winners, and that is what matters most at this stage.

Title run-ins are not about dominance, they are about moments. Games become tighter, chances become fewer, and pressure increases.

In those situations, Arsenal don’t need a perfect striker, they need a killer, and Gyokeres fits that profile.

He doesn’t need constant involvement or multiple chances; he just needs one moment to change a game.

There has been criticism about whether he delivers in big matches, but he has already shown he can step up in important situations. Even when Arsenal haven’t played well, he has often been the player to produce something decisive, which is a crucial in a title race.

Viktor Gyokeres is Arsenal's main man

There is also another simple reality: Arsenal do not have a better alternative. Other attacking options such as Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have been inconsistent or unavailable at times, which increases the reliance on Gyokeres in the final weeks. If Arsenal are going to win the league, they will need goals, and those goals are most likely to come from him.

The final stretch of the season is as much about mental strength as it is about tactics. Arsenal have already shown signs of pressure, and in these moments teams need players they can rely on even when performances drop. Gyokeres has shown he can deliver in exactly those conditions.

He might not be Arsenal’s most complete player, or their most stylish, but right now he is their most important. Because over the next seven games, it won’t be about how Arsenal play, it will be about who scores. And more often than not, that man is Viktor Gyokeres.

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