No one can deny that Viktor Gyokeres is struggling immensely at Arsenal, but Mikel Arteta just contextualised his striker’s form.
When Arsenal signed a striker who had scored 97 goals in his previous two seasons, fans were so excited.
Very quickly, it’s become clear that Gyokeres is no match for the Premier League, last scoring a non-penalty goal for the Gunners on matchday 10.
12 matchdays have since passed, and the verdict on the Swede suggests that he’s just not at the level required to dominate the English top flight.
In response, Mikel Arteta just raised the question: who is right now?
Is it time to drop Viktor Gyokeres, if so, who comes in?
Mikel Arteta says it’s not just Viktor Gyokeres who is struggling in the Premier League
Five goals in 20 Premier League appearances is an abysmal record for a £64m striker, but Arteta isn’t ready to hear criticism of Gyokeres.
In the Arsenal manager’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions League clash against Inter Milan, Arteta raised the very valid point that most Premier League strikers are underperforming right now.
“I think it goes for all the number nines in the league, and how difficult it is to play that position nowadays.
“With the physicality, the dominance of the centre-backs and the quality of them, and the lack of spaces as well, most of the time during the match for them to exploit.”
It’s easy to criticise Gyokeres, as he’s underperforming, but Arteta was spot on; he’s really not the only one to be having trouble in the Premier League.
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Arteta is right, most Premier League strikers are out of form
Gyokeres isn’t Arsenal’s answer to Erling Haaland, that much is clear, but even the Manchester City talisman is going through a drought.
When taking a look at how the traditional ‘big six’, as well as Champions League sides Newcastle United and Aston Villa, their strikers are also failing to fire.
| Club | Striker | Total goals | Last non-penalty goal |
| Arsenal | Viktor Gyokeres | 5 | 80 days |
| Man City | Erling Haaland | 20 | 31 days |
| Liverpool | Hugo Ekitike | 8 | 31 days |
| Chelsea | Joao Pedro | 7 | 3 days |
| Man Utd | Benjamin Sesko | 4 | 13 days |
| Tottenham | Richarlison | 7 | 31 days |
| Aston Villa | Ollie Watkins | 7 | 17 days |
| Newcastle Utd | Nick Woltemade | 7 | 31 days |
Gyokeres is struggling the most; that much is very clear, but to echo what Arteta says, he’s really not alone.
The Premier League is not for the weak, and sometimes, it’s not even for the strong, which is why it’s important to note that form is temporary.
It’s still too early to tell if Gyokeres has the capability of turning things around for himself at Arsenal, but right now, he’ll find comfort in the fact that he’s not the only underperformer of late.
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