Viktor Gyökeres: Sweden's Goalscorer, Not Arsenal's

Sentiment is a powerful thing in football. It's also clouding the case of Viktor Gyökeres.

Questioning a player who in his debut, title-winning season scored 21 goals feels somewhat wrong and unfair. Many rightfully praised Gyökeres for his output and involvement that saw Arsenal end a 22 year-wait to be champions, so surely he deserves more minutes than Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is affording him? However, by looking closer, the more uncomfortable conversations and answers become prevalent, and the reasons for his lack of involvement become clearer each game week. 

Let's start with the numbers. Gyökeres finished as Arsenal's top scorer in his debut season, with 21 goals, in a side that won its first league title in over two decades. That cannot be regarded as anything other than a success. According to data from Opta, of players to debut for Arsenal in the Premier League era (from 1992-93), only Thierry Henry in 1999/00 (26) and Alexis Sánchez in 2014/15 (25) scored more in their debut campaign with the club. Now he has three substitute appearances and under an hour of league football under his belt, with Kai Havertz having stolen back that starting place and not looking like losing it any time soon. 

Goalscoring was never going to be the main problem for Gyökeres. He made the move to North London in the Summer of 2025 for £64 million, and was the signing that many Arsenal fans had been crying out for. A proven, lethal goalscorer. He arrived from Sporting with excitement and intrigue with many fans quickly adopting his infamous celebration. Having scored an incredible 97 goals in 102 matches, the weight of expectation was high, but the worries were still lingering. Questions surrounding Gyökeres suiting Arsenal's style of play were dominating the discourse, with Havertz's attacking technicality, something Arteta relies heavily on for his attack to function fluidley.

But nobody signed Gyökeres for the elegance or technical skill. He was never going to glide past three defenders, or thread a pass through the back line, and to many Arsenal supporters that was fine. He's a battering ram that uses his strength to create openings in the box, scoring ugly goals, something many great strikers have been so good at and what Arsenal had clearly lacked in recent years. And so, those same questions remained. Can a team based on intricate, patient attacking build-up get the best out of a player whose game is blunt and direct? At the moment, that question seems to have answered itself. Scoring goals alone was never going to be enough for Gyökeres at Arsenal. Arteta needs more. 

The question has quite clearly been answered in Arteta's team selection so far this season. After starting all of Arsenal's first ten games last season, this year couldn't be more different. Despite some positive cameo appearances off the bench this season, including creating clear cut opportunities, such as for Saka against Leeds in the dying embers, Arteta clearly has his favourite. Some may deem this unfair, especially after such a positive international break, which saw him score in each of Sweden's four fixtures. 

But he has had his opportunity. 

When given the chance to start this season, Gyökeres has really flattered to deceive and make any notable impact whatsoever. Even most recently against Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday, he was given the chance to start, but could only manage 13 touches and had zero shots on goal, resulting in his number being called just after the hour mark. It was a similar story against Ipswich in the Carabao Cup. Many fans on social media called it a "tough watch", as he tried to make an impact but instead ended up looking like a spare part, when he was in desperate need of proving he's the main part. Gyökeres didn't do enough to change Arteta's mind, and given Arteta's well known ruthless streak, as seen with the Aubameyang and Ramsdale situations, the manager has moved on. Is it time the club moved on as well?

It's important to stress that none of this takes away from what Gyökeres did last season. He will always hold a special place in the hearts of Arsenal fans and they will continue to support him and hope he can turn his luck and confidence around. But in football, the future matters more than the past. At this point in time, it looks increasingly unlikely that Gyökeres will be able to improve his fortunes and crucially the opinion of Arteta. There is little doubt that Gyökeres is a talented player and a wonderful finisher, but there is substantial doubt to his overall suitability to this Arsenal team. 

If difficult discussions are to be had this coming January or in the summer, Gyökeres will rightfully be remembered amongst many supporters as playing a large role in helping Arsenal become champions of England once more, despite his recent struggles.