The pressure is on for Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres. Following the Gunners’ 1-0 victory against Manchester United, forward Kai Havertz will be sidelined, possibly for a lengthy stay, with a knee injury. The severity of the 26-year-old forward’s injury isn’t known yet, but with the Gunners exploring the transfer market for cover, it suggests at least the possibility of a prolonged absence. That cover may not come in the form of a striker with the Gunners targeting Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze, according to The Athletic. That would not only put more pressure on Gyokeres, but also it would open the option of Arsenal playing striker-less lineups if they rotate until Havertz recovers.
Expectations were already high for Gyokeres after joining this summer from Sporting CP in a deal worth over $75 million, but those initial expectations were tempered by the fact that, with the Gunners playing in four competitions, they’d be rotating their attackers. Gyokeres was initially slated to be one of a deep group of contributors.
But Gabriel Jesus is still recovering from his own ACL injury that he picked up in January of this year and has no timetable for return, and that leaves Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino as the closest things to strikers in Mikel Arteta’s squad behind Gyokeres. That might not be a problem against the likes of Burnley and the bottom of the Premier League, but when the league phase of the Champions League kicks off in September, they’ll need to be able to rotate. Even before the injury, the Gunners were in need of more depth at the nine; now the spotlight will shine ever brighter on their new star.
In one way, the current state of affairs is vindication for Arsenal’s transfer strategy. Arsenal were widely reported to be debating between Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko, who ultimately moved from RB Leipzig to Manchester United. Sesko, however, is a younger, rawer player, more of an exciting long-term project than an immediate impact starter. Gyokeres, on the other hand, is 27 with a proven track record of scoring lots of goals.
While it took time for Gyokeres to turn into a top forward, excelling at Coventry City before getting a move to Sporting CP that pushed him into the conversation as one of the top forwards in the world, that’s production that could translate to Arsenal. The Gunners don’t need Gyokeres to score 40 goals in all competitions – although they wouldn’t complain if he did – because with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, this attack isn’t a one-man show.
Where they need Gyokeres is in the Champions League and other competitions to get them over the line. In UCL play last season, Gyokeres scored six goals in eight matches for Sporting. Comfortable with physicality and able to score quickly, Gyokeres immediately impressed the Arsenal defenders. “It’s scary to play against him,” William Saliba said about his new teammate. “When you face a striker who scores goals, you have to be focused! But now he’s in our team and he will score for us, so that’s good.”
Arsenal may have won the match 5-1 when they faced Sporting last November in the Champions League, but Gyokeres did have chances which Saliba and Gabriel did well to keep up with. That’s an important data point because the defenders that Gyokeres will face now are closer to the level of Saliba than that of the ones he terrorized in Portugal.
While Arsenal might hope Gyokeres steps up and performs, hope doesn’t win titles, production does, and Gyokeres and Sesko were not the only possible options the Gunners considered. Alexander Isak was also, at least, on Arsenal’s big white board of possibilities, but rather than pay what seems to be a king’s ransom, they decided Gyokeres was a good bet, even though he’s a player who is unproven in the Premier League. Only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah have scored more than Isak’s 44 goals over the past two Premier League seasons, which is pretty good company to be in. His expected goals tally of 40.89 is also third best, while Isak is also comfortable setting up teammates with eight assists during that period. There’s no reason to believe that at a club like Arsenal that this level of production wouldn’t stay the same if not increase, considering the talent around him versus being the guy at Newcastle United.
Given their squad depth, it was reasonable for Arsenal to bet Gyokeres would have the time he needs to adjust to life in England’s top flight, and Isak’s instant Premier League experience wasn’t worth the price. But that depth just evaporated. After coming in second in three consecutive seasons, Arsenal need production now and Gyokeres’ adjustment period just shrank down to zero.
How many games will Gyokeres be able to play?
Gyokeres scored 97 goals in 102 matches for Sporting, and while he may not have hit the back of the net during his Arsenal debut, his presence already makes a difference. In a title-winning squad during the last 10 seasons, their top striker has scored 22.5 league goals, which is the line that Gyokeres will need to beat, but now, with the injury to Havertz, it also comes down to how much rest he will be able to receive.
Arsenal played 58 matches in all competitions last campaign, while during his time at Sporting, Gyokeres featured in 50 and 52 games respectively. He’s someone who is used to an increased workload, but also, when he has been the main guy for his clubs in the last four seasons, the minutes will add up. If coming to the Premier League ends with Gyokeres missing time alongside the absentees that Arsenal are already dealing with, that’s when the season will become a disaster before it starts. That’s also why it makes sense for the team to do their due diligence in the transfer market to ensure that there is proper cover for all possibilities.
A blow for Havertz
After a rough start to life at Arsenal, Havertz was much more productive in the last two seasons, scoring 22 Premier League goals and assisting 10 more. He suffered a hamstring injury during the 2024-25 season that kept him out for three months at the close of the season, but during his career, he has been mostly healthy. Coming off ending the season with an injury to beginning the new campaign with one is quite the blow, especially when Havertz is looking to ensure that he remains in Germany’s squad for the 2026 World Cup taking place in Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
Options for replacing Havertz
It has been quite a summer for the Gunners, splashing out over $260 million on transfers with minimal outgoing players, as only Nuno Tavares and Marquinhos brought in income from sales. That could keep them from making a last-second, unlikely swoop for Isak, although it doesn’t hurt to ask, as his situation with Newcastle United is becoming harder to repair by the day. Like Gyokeres, Isak is also comfortable operating from the left wing, so the duo could coexist even if it made a player like Gabriel Martinelli surplus to requirements. More realistic options could be looking to add Nicolas Jackson to continue a strong Chelsea to Arsenal pipeline that already brought Noni Madueke to the club this summer.
Internally, Trossard can play all across an attacking band or as an attacking midfielder, while Merino’s stand-ins as a striker were admirable. In 12 games as a center forward, Merino scored six goals, assisting three more, compared to scoring three times and assisting two goals from midfield. This included two goals in the Champions League and three assists. Scoring on Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals, Merino showed that he was up for the task in leading the line, but Arsenal also won’t want to push their luck and expect too much from a player who is primarily a midfielder. It’s a fine balance for Arteta in replacing Havertz, but if Gyokeres can hit the ground running, it’ll lessen how much of a blow is felt from his latest injury.
If Arsenal can add Eze, not only will it improve lineups where a midfielder needs to play as a center forward, but it would also add another creative presence alongside Saka and Odegaard. When looking to break down teams that sit back, the more creativity that Arsenal can have, the better, because a team won’t be able to key in on specific players. It’s still a risk for the Gunners, but if Gyokeres scores the goals that he is expected to, it will be a worthwhile one.
