After 3 consecutive seasons finishing in the runner-up position, Arsenal has spent heavily in the summer of 2025. The goal is very clear - not to miss any more opportunities to end the thirst for the Premier League title.
And after 3 years of persistently playing without a "20-goal striker" - a piece that many people affirm is still lacking - coach Mikel Arteta finally concluded that it is time to change.
In a way, he really has no other choice.
The waiting atmosphere in the Arsenal fan community has increased, as they expect the club to recruit a striker who scores more regularly than Kai Havertz and is less injured than Gabriel Jesus.
If Arteta continues to cling to what has not been effective in the last 3 seasons, he will face criticism for his lack of decisiveness in the transfer market. And if the team fails again, familiar questions will immediately return. Why don't you buy a striker who scores 20 goals each season?
Conversely, if Arteta recruits a player who is expected to become a "20-goal piece", thereby showing that he wants to fill the gap that many people think Arsenal is lacking, but still cannot win the championship, he can at least receive some sympathy.
However, reality is much more complicated. Signing a new striker, even if it is a player who scores regularly, does not guarantee that the team will play better or score more goals. And of course, it is very likely that the new player needs time to adapt.
A striker who has exploded in another environment - such as in Portugal - may look exactly like the true number 9 that Arsenal needs, but is still completely capable of struggling when moving to a new club.
All of this leads us to Viktor Gyokeres, the 64 million pound "killer" that Arsenal spent heavily last summer. By adding a player who knows how to score to a team that is already operating well, Arteta seems to believe that he has found the formula leading to success.
In many ways, that strategy is taking effect. Arsenal leads the Premier League with a 6-point gap and looks like a strong candidate for the championship. History shows that 2/3 of the teams creating such a large point gap at this stage have already won the championship. In other words, The Gunners really have reason to believe that they will end their title drought this summer.
Gyokeres is currently their number one scorer. No Arsenal player has scored more goals in the Premier League this season than the Swedish striker (5 goals). This is a number that may surprise many people, because of the questions surrounding his performance since arriving at Emirates.
Gyokeres is criticized for "not doing much". He runs a lot and always tries hard, but often appears inexperienced at this level. Many matches have passed without him leaving a clear mark. In 18 appearances in the Premier League, he has not exceeded 32 touches in any match. There were even 15 matches he touched the ball less than 25 times. In 6 matches Gyokeres could not take a single shot, and in 4 other matches he only shot once.
Even when there is an opportunity, his handling is often lacking in sophistication or technique. This striker often launches powerful shots, but seems to not consider carefully how to defeat the opponent's goalkeeper. 2 of his 5 goals came from penalties. If penalties are excluded, he only has a total of 4.8 xG in the whole season, equivalent to 0.35 xG excluding penalties every 90 minutes.
Therefore, watching Gyokeres play is still largely an experience that disappoints Arsenal fans - who once expected him to recreate impressive scoring performance in Sporting CP colors when entering a new challenge.
