Mikel Arteta backs Viktor Gyokeres despite being 'very far' from top form

Feargal Brennan

Mikel Arteta backs Viktor Gyokeres despite being 'very far' from top form image

Mikel Arteta has no concerns over Viktor Gyokeres despite a slow start to life at Arsenal.

The Gunners battled to secure an initial £55m transfer deal for the Sweden international over the summer on the back of a sensational goal record at Sporting CP.

The 27-year-old scored an outrageous 97 goals in 102 appearances in the Portuguese capital and won back-to-back league titles in his two campaigns at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

Arteta opted to throw him in straight in at the deep following his move to North London with six Premier League starts from six so far in 2025/26.

That has yielded just three goals, with four matches not producing a goal for Arsenal's new No.14, and he drew a blank in the opening UEFA Champions League win at Athletic Club in September.

A look at his deeper numbers shows just four shots on target - a far cry from his ruthlessness in Lisbon - with no attempts on target in key games against title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City.

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Despite growing focus on Gyokeres' struggles in front of goal, Arteta has no doubt he will turn a corner, with his current level a concern.

"[In the win at Newcastle] there was not a single minute where he showed frustration. I told him: 'You're going to get some decisions, some others you won't," as per ESPN.

"I told him to stand up, as he would two or three players around him many times. When the ball is in the air, a lot is going to happen.

"It's a pity he didn't score at the end, because in my opinion, he fully deserved it.

"He gives so much to the team. His ceiling is very, very far in terms of what he can give the team, so I'm very happy with him."

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Feargal Brennan

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News. He has been working with TSN since the start of 2022 after stints with Reach, Amazon UK and Squawka in a nomadic career in the football media pyramid. Always with a keen eye on Arteta's 'Reds' and Kenny's Ireland 'Greens' and a 100% five-a-side penalty record.