Mikel Arteta has now chosen who his number one striker is going to be at Arsenal

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For a long time, there was a lot of talk around the idea that Arsenal didn’t have a striker.

Indeed, for the past two years or so, there was so much discussion around the idea that Arsenal needed a number nine in order to win the Premier League.

Now, all of a sudden, Arsenal are inundated with striker options.

Viktor Gyokeres arrived this summer for big-money, Mikel Merino has earned plaudits lately while playing as a makeshift number nine.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus is still a very talented player, while Kai Havertz is effective in his own way too.

Mikel Arteta has a selection dilemma on his hands here, and according to The Mail, the Spaniard has made a decision on who his first-choice number nine is going to be.

Mikel Arteta has decided Kai Havertz will be his first-choice number nine

According to The Mail, Mikel Arteta has decided that Kai Havertz will be his first-choice striker when he’s back fit and firing.

Arteta is said to be a big fan of Havertz, and there is a feeling of excitement around the club ahead of his return to action.

Havertz is set to be Arsenal’s first-choice striker, but it’s also noted in this report that the German will be used in other positions if needed too.

The former Chelsea star did come into Arsenal as a midfield player before moving into a more advanced role, so perhaps we could see him move back into the midfield at times.

Mikel Arteta has sent clear Viktor Gyokeres instruction

Havertz is going to be Arsenal’s starting striker upon his return, but, of course, Viktor Gyokeres will still have a big part to play at the Emirates.

Gyokeres has had a stop-start beginning to his Arsenal career to this point, struggling for injuries and form at times.

Mikel Arteta thinks he’s identified one of the problems here, and he’s given his squad some clear instructions on how to get more out of Gyokeres.

According to The Mail, Arteta has told his Arsenal team that they need to get better at spotting Gyokeres’ runs and feeding him with chances.

With the likes of Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka conducting Arsenal’s creativity orchestra at Arsenal, Gyokeres should get plenty of service, but, as is normal, there was always going to be an adjustment period for any new striker coming in to Arsenal.