Gyokeres deserves to be a substitute at Arsenal

20/10/2025 08:38:00 PANDATV

Viktor Gyokeres has now gone 7 games without scoring. It’s only a matter of time before Mikel Arteta considers placing the forward on the bench.

Arsenal is topping the Premier League and has the strongest defense in England, yet Arteta’s side only edged past Fulham thanks to a set-piece. The star signing Viktor Gyokeres failed to find the net once more, keeping Arsenal’s attacking problems unresolved.

When Gyokeres became a concern

Last season, relying on set pieces continued to highlight Arsenal’s offensive problems. It was expected that Viktor Gyokeres would provide a solution for the "Gunners," but in reality, he has brought another headache for Arteta.

Before his transfer from Sporting Lisbon for £63.5 million, many feared that the Swedish international—who won the Gerd Müller award as Europe’s top scorer last season—only scored against weaker teams. Now, Gyokeres has gone seven consecutive matches without scoring, and Mikel Arteta may need to rethink starting him if he wants to make better use of this marquee signing.

Strong, tall, agile, and having scored 223 goals in 405 club appearances, Gyokeres was expected to shake up the Premier League. However, the reality is harsh: all three of his goals for Arsenal came against weaker opponents—newly promoted Leeds and a struggling Nottingham Forest, who have parted ways with Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou.

During 90 minutes at Craven Cottage, Gyokeres made no impact. He took two shots—both off target—completed only four passes throughout the match, and touched the ball just 16 times, a very concerning statistic.

What is Gyokeres’ problem? Mail Sport’s Riath Al-Samarrai explains: "In short, it’s finishing ability—but that’s an oversimplification. For now, things aren’t clicking. Currently, Gyokeres’ confidence is very low, affecting many technical aspects. One of these is his positioning to receive the ball. In the match against Fulham, especially in the first half, Gyokeres often 'hid' among crowded areas instead of finding open space."

Coach Mikel Arteta still hasn’t managed to “unlock” Viktor Gyokeres

Time to put Gyokeres on the bench

"It might be confusion between positioning issues and lack of confidence—or both. Unfortunately for Gyokeres, on the rare occasions he chose the right position, his finishing lacked sharpness," emphasized Riath Al-Samarrai.

"The difficulty also lies in Gyokeres’ understanding of his teammates’ intentions; he frequently moves in the wrong direction. This partly stems from his positioning and spatial awareness, as Gyokeres often loses out to defenders marking him. Opponents seem to read the situation a step faster than he does," Riath Al-Samarrai continued.

A seven-match goal drought is too long, and at an ambitious club, the Swedish striker should be relegated to the bench to make way for others. Doubts have already arisen about this newcomer. Former striker Alan Shearer commented on BBC Sport: "There’s no doubt Gyokeres needs to improve his goal-scoring— as you said, he’s only got three so far." Shearer also rated Gyokeres below Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappe.

Arteta probably doesn’t want to drop Gyokeres from the starting lineup too soon, as that would be an admission that this signing was a mistake. However, benching Gyokeres could be the wake-up call he needs, while sending a clear message that poor form won’t be tolerated in a team hungry for the Premier League title.

With Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus injured, the Spanish coach has limited options to replace Gyokeres. Still, Mikel Merino—a midfielder Arteta tried as a forward last season—has scored 5 goals in 8 games in his new role and could be a temporary solution to help Arsenal avoid another tough match.

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