Arsenal should use the months before January to establish whether Viktor Gyokeres can lead their attack consistently. That requires a clear plan for his role and a meaningful assessment of how the team functions around him.
The striker’s latest comments underline the urgency. Speaking to SVT Sport, in an interview reported by the London Standard, he said: “For me, staying was a given. I’m extremely happy at the club.”
He also acknowledged frustration over his opportunities. Those positions can coexist. A player can want to remain at Arsenal while believing he has more to offer than his current minutes allow.
For Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta, the useful question is what evidence would justify trusting Gyokeres more, or investing in another centre-forward.
Arsenal must assess Gyokeres beyond the goals column
Gyokeres scored 21 goals across all competitions last season, including 14 in the Premier League. That record deserves weight when Arsenal assess his contribution.
It also needs context. Goals tell us whether a striker finishes attacks, but they cannot explain every decision about who should start the next match.
The London Standard reports that Gyokeres has yet to start a league game this season and remained an unused substitute in three of Arsenal’s opening five fixtures.
That leaves a limited current league sample. A late appearance against a tiring defence is a different assignment from starting against an organised opponent, while chasing a deficit creates different demands from protecting a lead.
Arsenal should therefore examine his opportunities by situation. How often does he receive in useful positions? Does his movement open passing routes? Can the team sustain attacks after finding him?
Those questions would give any eventual recruitment decision a firmer basis than a running comparison of goals scored by players receiving very different opportunities.
Arteta has already identified a shared responsibility
The manager’s own assessment is important here.
Asked before the Brighton match about Gyokeres adapting and Arsenal learning to use him, Arteta said: “Well, I think the team are doing certain different things this season as well, so it’s a bit of both.”
Arseblog’s account of that press conference also records Arteta emphasising his responsibility to find the connections that allow the striker to perform.
That should translate into a recognisable attacking plan whenever Gyokeres plays.
If he threatens the space behind a defender, the player in possession needs an option to release him early. If that pass is unavailable, a nearby midfielder should offer a route to recycle possession without leaving the forward detached.
Against deeper opponents, the challenge changes. Gyokeres may need to hold his position between centre-backs, occupy a defender and make short movements across the penalty area while teammates work an opening.
A fair test would examine whether those actions produce chances for Arsenal. It would also demand that Gyokeres contributes when the first pass does not reach him.
Havertz provides the standard, with room for different solutions
Our coverage of Arteta’s praise for Kai Havertz explains why the German’s understanding of the game matters so much to the manager.
Any alternative has to preserve enough of that collective function. Arsenal need a forward who helps attacks develop as well as someone available to finish them.
However, asking Gyokeres to reproduce every Havertz movement would narrow the assessment unnecessarily. The practical question is whether a different arrangement can remain effective.
For example, a striker staying higher could occupy the centre-backs while an attacking midfielder receives underneath him. That would place more responsibility for linking play on the supporting players.
The trade-off needs examining. Does keeping the striker high create room between the lines, or does it leave Arsenal short of a passing option when opponents press?
The answer will depend on the opposition and the surrounding selection. Arsenal should be capable of testing that variation without making every appearance a referendum on which striker is better.
Havertz’s fitness adds an immediate consideration. Our injury tracker records his return from Germany duty with a muscle strain, but no confirmed recovery timetable. Any extended opportunity for Gyokeres remains conditional.
Give him a defined assignment and judge the whole performance
A fair assessment does not require Arteta to promise starts regardless of form. It requires clarity over the job and enough evidence to judge whether the player performs it.
For supporters, the most revealing signs would come before the shot.
Watch whether Gyokeres moves as a midfielder receives facing forward. Watch whether he provides a secure return pass under pressure. Watch whether he attacks a different space from the winger arriving beside him.
Without the ball, the assessment should include whether his pressing helps teammates close passing routes. Running towards a defender achieves little if an easy pass takes several Arsenal players out of the game.
There should also be accountability for the supply. A forward cannot finish a run that nobody recognises, although repeatedly mistiming those runs is a problem he must address.
Over several suitable opportunities, patterns should become clearer. The aim is to distinguish shortcomings in execution from shortcomings in the way Arsenal deploy him.
One missed chance should not erase an otherwise useful performance. Equally, a goal should not conceal repeated problems elsewhere. Arsenal need to assess whether his overall contribution makes their attacking play more effective across different match situations.
January planning should follow the evidence
Reports of another striker arriving do not settle Gyokeres’ future.
FootballTransfers’ account of Fabrizio Romano’s September comments identifies centre-forward as an area Arsenal could strengthen in 2027, with the timing uncertain and the summer considered more likely.
Our earlier coverage of Arsenal’s January transfer stance also explained the decision to avoid forcing an attacking signing at the summer deadline.
The next window should be approached with a precise understanding of the remaining need. Is Arsenal’s priority better finishing, stronger combination play or an additional option against particular defensive shapes?
Each answer points towards a different recruitment brief.
Gyokeres has already shown he can contribute goals. Arsenal now need to establish how reliably they can build effective performances around him.
If that experiment succeeds, it strengthens the squad immediately. If it falls short, Berta can enter the market knowing which qualities are missing. Either outcome would be more useful than reaching January with the same unresolved argument.
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