Viktor Gyokeres: why Arsenal’s striker is struggling for minutes

Viktor Gyokeres has become one of the Premier League’s big talking points. The Swede scores freely for his country, but he is struggling to get on the pitch for his club.

So what has gone wrong, and what happens next? Here are the facts, and what they mean.

Viktor Gyokeres: the numbers behind the slump

The figures are stark. According to Squawka, Gyokeres has played 614 minutes across 14 appearances in all competitions. Only 181 of those minutes have come in the Premier League, from seven games, and he is still waiting for his first league goal of the season.

He has scored twice for Arsenal this season, against Slavia Prague and Fleetwood. But Kai Havertz has been Mikel Arteta’s first choice up front, and Arsenal have kept winning without the Swede.

Sweden tell a different story. Squawka says he has 25 goals in 41 caps, and he has kept scoring for his country this autumn.

Why the fit isn’t working

This is the key question, and Squawka offers one useful clue. In three of Sweden’s four Nations League games, Gyokeres played alongside another striker. With Sweden he has a partner to share the load. At Arsenal he plays as the lone number nine in a side built around control.

The touch numbers point the same way. Squawka’s data shows Gyokeres has averaged just 26.9 touches per 90 minutes in the Premier League since joining Arsenal, which is very low for a striker in a dominant side.

My reading is that the role does not suit him. At Sporting, Gyokeres was at his best running into space and finishing moves at speed. Arsenal often face opponents who sit deep, and Havertz drops in, links play and helps the midfield. Arteta clearly values that more right now.

To be fair to Gyokeres, he did his job last season. He scored 21 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign as Arsenal won the title. That is not a failed signing. It is a player whose role has shrunk as the team has evolved.

What Gyokeres and Arteta have said

Gyokeres insists he wants to stay. When Fotbollskanalen asked whether he wanted to remain at Arsenal, he replied: “I want to.” He added: “Communication with Arteta is good. We talk about football and how we should play.” Those comments were reported by Sports Mole.

Arteta has backed him publicly too. In October, before Arsenal’s trip to Nottingham Forest, he praised the striker’s “incredible will and determination” and said he had been unlucky not to open his account for the season.

Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere said this week that Gyokeres should not leave in January. He did accept that a move could happen if Arsenal felt they could upgrade the position.