Mikel Arteta loves having Viktor Gyokeres at Arsenal, but the manager might’ve just cost the summer signing a fair few goals.
Arsenal are very happy with Gyokeres, who has scored three goals in his opening ten appearances for the Gunners.
Though the expectation would’ve been to score a lot more than he has, the Swede is still settling into life in the Premier League, having spent the previous two seasons in the Portuguese top flight.
In comparison to other strikers Arsenal have signed over the years, Gyokeres has had an average start in front of goal, and, concerningly, the 27-year-old’s output might be about to shrink.
Bukayo Saka being Arsenal’s penalty taker is bad news for Viktor Gyokeres
Gyokeres is a goal-hungry striker, wanting to take on any chance to put the ball in the back of the net.
For that reason, Gyokeres would’ve been left frustrated at Arteta for putting Bukayo Saka back on penalty duty for Arsenal.
Saka converted from the spot against West Ham, adding to his goal tally for the season, a goal that Gyokeres would’ve loved to have scored.
It’s not only the striker’s end-of-season tally that will be impacted by Arteta’s decision, but also his confidence, as right now, there’s nothing more the summer signing will want than to get back amongst the goals.
Penalties are an effective way to help a player rediscover their scoring form, but shooting from the spot might now be out of Gyokeres’ grasp.
The decision was a surprise, despite Saka being Arsenal’s spot-kick taker before, as Arteta has already dubbed Gyokeres the best penalty taker in the squad.
Not taking penalties will be disappointing for Gyokeres, who has been backed to score over 20 goals this season, goals that will have to come from open play.
How many of Gyokeres’ goals for Sporting CP were penalties?
Saka is a very good penalty taker, but it has to be said that Arteta’s decision is a strange one.
There are few penalty takers better than Gyokeres in Europe, who has already scored once from the spot this term for Arsenal.
If there’s one thing the Gunners would’ve noticed about the Swede before he made the move from Sporting CP, it was his rate of converting penalties.
Out of Gyokeres’ 97 goals for Sporting, 27 of them were penalties, meaning that without being on penalty duty, 27.8% of the striker’s goals would not have been scored.
Arteta is taking a risk by not having his marksman on penalty duty, with Gyokeres almost guaranteeing goals from the spot with his track record.
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