Mikel Arteta has backed Viktor Gyokeres to start scoring goals for Arsenal, with the summer signing having gone six games without finding the net.
Gyokeres has scored three times in 10 appearances since his summer arrival from Sporting Lisbon, a modest return given his goal record in Portugal.
The 27-year-old netted 97 goals in 102 games over two seasons in Lisbon, but two scoreless starts for Sweden during the break made it eight games without a goal for club and country.
Having operated without a recognised forward for much of last season, are Arsenal struggling to adapt to a traditional number nine?
The Gunners lead the Premier League after an impressive start to the campaign, while only Manchester City (15) have scored more than their 14 goals.
However, they’ve scored more goals from set-pieces (7), excluding penalties, than from open play (5). Despite his remarkable goal record and burly frame, Gyokeres is not a specialist aerial threat.
He’s scored just 12 headed goals in his club career to date, with only 6.78% of his goals coming via headers.
Arsenal struggling to create chances for Gyokeres
According to data from Squawka, Arsenal rank only eighth in the Premier League for chances created from open play.
Liverpool lead the way with 71 open-play chances created in 2025/26, a huge 18 more than Arsenal. Manchester United (68) are also comfortably clear of the Gunners, while 17th-placed Nottingham Forest (57) and Everton (55) also rank above them.
📊Most chances created from open-play in the Premier League so far this season:
◉ 71 – Liverpool
◉ 68 – Man Utd
◉ 59 – Bournemouth
◉ 57 – Man City
◉ 57 – Newcastle
◉ 57 – Nottingham Forest
◉ 55 – Everton
◉ 53 – Arsenal
◉ 52 – Brighton
◉ 52 – Chelsea https://t.co/9p9zAoS0JR— Squawka (@Squawka) October 17, 2025
Gyokeres has been described as ‘clunky’ in the opening weeks of the season, but there’s an argument that Arsenal’s chance creation has not helped.
A player who thrives in transition, Arsenal’s patient approach means he has not received the type of openings that arrived so often at Sporting. Arsenal are yet to score a counter-attack goal this season and have the third-highest average possession (58%) in the Premier League.
In terms of non-penalty xG per 90, Gyokeres has averaged just 0.34 this season. For comparison, Erling Haaland leads the league with 1.17 on the same metric. Beto (0.53), Enzo Fernandez (0.43) and Anthony Gordon (0.42) also rank higher.
But with Bukayo Saka back from injury and Eberechi Eze still finding his feet in an Arsenal shirt, there will be hope that Arsenal can improve the service to their summer signing.
If done, Gyokeres has proven he can finish emphatically. Mikel Arteta has built Europe’s best defensive side in North London, the challenge now is to unlock his focal point.
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