Viktor Gyokeres set for unexpected competition at Arsenal after latest development emerges

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Viktor Gyokeres is set to sign for Arsenal and is expected to compete with Kai Havertz for a place in Mikel Arteta’s team.

The Gunners have been looking to bolster their striker department throughout this summer, pursuing the likes of Ollie Watkins, Benjamin Sesko and Hugo Ekitike.

After negotiating on multiple fronts, Andrea Berta chose Gyokeres, agreeing a £63 million deal with Sporting for the signing of the prolific Swede.

The 27-year-old is expected to fly to London this week to complete the formalities ahead of his blockbuster move, once the minor details of the deal have been ironed out.

• READ MORE: Confirmed Arsenal summer 2025 transfer ins and outs, signings and done deals

Injured Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus reveals he’s back on grass

While Havertz will be Gyokeres’ primary source of competition, forgotten man Gabriel Jesus could yet come into the equation.

Given the fee that the Gunners are paying for the Sporting star, he likely assumes he’ll essentially walk into Arteta’s side, but a resurgent Jesus could threaten that.

Jesus sustained an ACL injury back in January, ruling him out of action for at least nine months.

Many assumed this would be the end of the Brazilian in N5, but he’s released an update which indicates that he could return sooner than first expected.

Posting a picture of a football on a grass pitch on his Instagram, it appears that Jesus is already back on grass and kicking a ball about.

While this certainly doesn’t suggest that his return is imminent, the 28-year-old likely isn’t too far away and could easily return to the pitch before the end of the year.

Jurrien Timber also suffered an ACL injury for Arsenal in the 2023/24 season, and the Dutchman returned to action roughly nine months later, which would be around October in Jesus’ timeline.

Could there be a role for Gabriel Jesus at Arsenal next season?

With Gyokeres now in the fold, Jesus has serious competition to get back into the Arsenal team.

The Brazil international likely would’ve been sold this summer had he been fit, although this won’t be an option for the Gunners when he does return as it’ll be prior to the January window opening.

Thus, he’ll be reintegrated back into Arteta’s squad and may find a way to get some minutes.

It’s unclear whether he’ll be able to rediscover his best form, although a Jesus at his best would be some player to add to the Spanish manager’s set-up and would no doubt rival Gyokeres for a starting berth.

The most likely scenario is that he is granted some minutes in cup competitions or late cameos in the league to rebuild his fitness, before Arsenal sanction his departure in the winter window.

That said, there is an alternative universe in which the Gunners have another striker injury crisis and Jesus comes back in to reclaim what was his spot in Arteta’s team previously.