Arteta 'pleads' with Gyokeres after a prolonged goal drought

Arsenal maintained their winning run in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday (18/10). Yet, the spotlight after the game was on Viktor Gyokeres’ underwhelming display rather than the goal.

The £60 million striker remains under pressure, having gone seven consecutive games without scoring for Arsenal, extending to nine if including his two appearances for the Swedish national team this month. Gyokeres last found the net in the 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest last month.

Despite this, after eight Premier League matches, the former Coventry forward has only scored three times, including a brace against Leeds in August. In the match against Fulham, Gyokeres took three shots but failed to beat Bernd Leno.

After the match, coach Mikel Arteta openly expressed sympathy for his player, even admitting that the whole team “is begging him to score.” The Spanish manager said: “He has come very close, two or three times. We all want him to score. The amount of work he puts in for the team is extraordinary, so we try to give him our full support and affection. It will come eventually.”

Arteta also revealed that he anticipated this difficult period when he personally spoke with Gyokeres last summer before Arsenal finalized the deal. “We discussed that possibility in the summer. He just looked at me and said, ‘It’s okay.’ He didn’t show much emotion. He had only one goal in mind. I admire that about him.”

Arteta emphasized that Arsenal evaluates players not only by statistics but also by character and resilience. He added: “He isn’t always a top striker. His journey has many twists and turns. Everyone goes through phases like this. No one progresses in a straight line, except maybe one or two in history.”

Coming up, Arsenal will have three consecutive home games, facing Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, then Crystal Palace and Brighton in the Premier League and EFL Cup respectively. This is seen as a golden opportunity for Gyokeres to regain his scoring touch and prove the true value of this high-profile summer signing.

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