When Arsenal announced the signing of Viktor Gyökeres from Sporting CP, there was curiosity — and a little confusion.

A powerful, old-school centre-forward joining one of Europe’s most intricate, possession-heavy teams? Mikel Arteta, the modernist tactician, choosing muscle over mechanism?

Three months later, nobody is laughing.

Gyökeres hasn’t just slotted into Arsenal’s attack — he’s reshaped it.

His arrival has given the Gunners something they’ve lacked for years: a focal point who thrives on chaos but functions within control, a striker who brings both the old-fashioned menace of a number nine and the tactical intelligence required in Arteta’s system.

And yet, even as he thrives, there’s one persistent flaw — one that Arteta knows must be solved if Arsenal are to finally end their 21-year wait for the Premier League title.

The Arrival of Arsenal’s Missing Piece

For years, Arsenal’s search for a true striker has been a saga.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brought goals but not structure.

Alexandre Lacazette linked play but lacked pace.

Gabriel Jesus, for all his movement and energy, often felt more like a false nine than a genuine penalty-box predator.

Then came Viktor Gyökeres — a Swedish international who had lit up the Portuguese league with Sporting, scoring 43 goals in all competitions last season.

Arsenal moved quickly, paying nearly £75 million, a figure that raised eyebrows but also reflected desperation.

Arteta wanted presence.

He wanted punch.

He wanted a forward who could make defenders uncomfortable again.

“Sometimes,” Arteta said after the transfer, “you need a striker who doesn’t ask for the ball — he takes it.

”

From his debut against Wolves, it was clear what he meant.

Gyökeres bullied centre-backs, dropped deep to draw out defenders, and opened lanes for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to run into.

Arsenal suddenly had a vertical threat again.

A Striker Who Creates by Collapsing Defences

Gyökeres’s greatest gift is his ability to drag defences into uncomfortable positions.

He doesn’t stay static between the lines; he prowls.

He pushes high, drops low, drifts wide — constantly asking defenders a question they don’t want to answer.

When he receives the ball, he doesn’t simply hold it up; he turns and drives.

His average carry distance per possession — nearly 6.

8 metres, according to Opta — is among the highest for Premier League strikers this season.

That directness has transformed Arsenal’s wide players.

Bukayo Saka, once double-marked on the right flank, now enjoys more one-on-one opportunities.

Defenders can no longer cheat toward him; they’re forced to respect Gyökeres’s central runs.

The same goes for Martinelli on the left, who thrives on chaos.

With Gyökeres creating space through physical presence, Martinelli has rediscovered the explosiveness that defined his breakout season.

“It’s like he moves people for us,” Saka said in an interview.

“He pulls defenders away and suddenly there’s space again.

It’s what we were missing.

”

The numbers agree.

Since Gyökeres’s arrival, Arsenal’s average shot distance has dropped from 16.

2 to 13.

4 metres — meaning they’re getting closer, higher-quality chances.

From Transition to Control

Under Arteta, Arsenal have often been accused of being too polished — too rehearsed.

The system works beautifully when rhythm flows, but when opponents sit deep, it can become predictable.

Gyökeres offers a different dynamic.

He turns sterile possession into threatening moments by sheer force of will.

In the 3–1 victory over Brighton, he showcased everything that makes him unique: bodying centre-backs, holding play, releasing Saka into space, and then finishing a cross with a thunderous header.

It wasn’t subtle — but it was devastating.

Arteta, usually so composed on the touchline, couldn’t hide his grin.

“That’s what I love,” he said afterward.

“He gives us another layer.

When the perfect pattern doesn’t work, we have the chaos that wins games.

”

Arsenal’s xG (expected goals) per match has jumped from 1.

73 to 2.

21 since his introduction — a testament not just to his scoring, but to how his gravity reshapes the pitch.

A Perfect Partner for Saka and Martinelli

If Saka is Arsenal’s scalpel and Martinelli their whip, then Gyökeres is the hammer that makes both sharper.

The synergy between the trio has been startlingly fast.

Gyökeres’s instinct to attack the near post creates corridors for Saka to cut inside, while his flick-ons and lay-offs play directly into Martinelli’s high-speed counter bursts.

Arteta’s system thrives on interchanging roles, and Gyökeres has adapted.

At Sporting, he was the undisputed focal point.

At Arsenal, he’s learned to be both a servant and a star.

“I knew he could score,” Arteta said.

“What I didn’t know was how quickly he’d understand our structure.

He’s intelligent, humble, and obsessed with improving.

He listens — and then he bites.

”

Players have echoed that sentiment.

“He’s a monster in training,” said Declan Rice.

“He presses like mad, and when you think you’ve got him, he turns you.

He’s making us sharper because we can’t relax.

”

Troubling Defenders, One Duel at a Time

Ask any Premier League centre-back who’s faced him: Gyökeres is a nightmare.

He’s not just tall and strong; he’s relentless.

He thrives on physical duels, constantly leaning into defenders, making them second-guess their balance.

And unlike many modern strikers who rely on finesse, he relishes contact.

In the 2–0 win over Brentford, he completed 12 duels and drew five fouls.

Against Manchester United, he won six aerial challenges and ran Lisandro Martínez into exhaustion.

Even in the narrow loss to Liverpool, he bullied Ibrahima Konaté so much that the Frenchman was substituted with cramp.

“Playing against him is like wrestling with a doorframe,” one Premier League defender joked anonymously.

“You can’t move him.

You can only try to survive.

”

This presence has ripple effects.

Arsenal’s set-pieces, once predictable, are now weaponized.

Gyökeres’s runs occupy two markers, freeing William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães to attack from deep.

It’s no coincidence that Arsenal have already scored six goals from corners this season — more than any other top-six side.

The One Flaw: Composure Under Pressure

For all his brilliance, Gyökeres still carries one flaw that could haunt him — finishing under pressure.

At Sporting, he thrived on volume: many chances, many shots.

At Arsenal, chances are fewer but higher quality.

And when those moments come — especially in tight games — precision matters more than power.

So far, he’s missed several key opportunities, most notably in the 1–1 draw against Spurs and the Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.

Both chances came at 1–0 up; both could have sealed the game.

Arteta brushed it off publicly, saying, “He’ll learn.

The Premier League punishes hesitation, but Viktor is learning fast.

”

Privately, though, there’s acknowledgment that composure is the next frontier.

Arsenal have brought in a sports psychologist to work with attacking players on in-game decision-making — a sign of how seriously they’re investing in mental sharpness.

“Viktor’s problem isn’t technique,” says former Arsenal striker Ian Wright.

“It’s tempo.

Sometimes he’s too eager to hit it.

When he slows down just a second, he’ll score 25 a season.

”

Arteta’s Tactical Evolution

Incorporating a striker like Gyökeres has also forced Arteta to evolve.

Arsenal are now mixing short build-up patterns with more direct plays.

David Raya, once instructed to build exclusively through midfield, now looks for Gyökeres early — a controlled long ball that bypasses pressure.

From there, Arsenal can attack the second phase — with Saka and Martinelli picking up loose balls.

It’s a calculated risk, but it’s working.

In fact, 28% of Arsenal’s goals this season have originated from sequences beginning with a vertical pass to Gyökeres.

For a team once accused of overcomplication, the new directness is refreshing.

“He gives us permission to be simple,” said Martin Ødegaard.

“Sometimes the best play is the obvious one — give it to Viktor and run.

”

Comparisons to the Greats

Comparisons have inevitably followed.

Some see echoes of Olivier Giroud — the link-up play, the chest control, the flicks.

Others point to Diego Costa — the aggression, the snarl, the refusal to back down.

But Gyökeres’s combination of physicality and mobility feels uniquely modern.

He presses like a Klopp forward but finishes like an old-school poacher.

“He’s what I call a hybrid striker,” says ex-Arsenal defender and pundit Martin Keown.

“He can hold, he can sprint, he can fight.

You can build a title-winning side around that.

”

Off the Pitch: A Quiet Professional

Away from the pitch, Gyökeres is understated.

He lives quietly in North London, avoids social media drama, and has earned a reputation for discipline.

Staff at London Colney describe him as “a worker, not a celebrity.

”

He’s also known for staying behind after training to practice specific movements — especially near-post runs and first-touch finishes.

“He doesn’t talk much,” said a teammate.

“But when he trains, you feel it.

It raises the level.

”

This humility has made him a favourite in the dressing room, especially among the younger players.

Ethan Nwaneri and Reuell Walters have spoken about how Gyökeres often offers advice without ego.

“He’s not just here for himself,” Nwaneri said.

“He wants the team to win.

That’s rare for a new star.

”

The Verdict from the Emirates

As autumn turns to winter, Arsenal sit among the title challengers, playing with a balance of beauty and brutality rarely seen under Arteta.

The difference isn’t just tactical — it’s psychological.

They now have a striker who embodies the fight fans have been craving since the days of Wright and Henry.

In a recent home match against Manchester City, the Emirates crowd chanted his name after he chased down a lost cause, won a corner, and roared to the fans with fists clenched.

It wasn’t a goal — but it was a moment that said everything about what Arsenal have gained.

What Comes Next

The next step, for both Gyökeres and Arsenal, is consistency.

Titles aren’t won with moments; they’re built over months.

Can Gyökeres maintain this intensity across 38 games? Can he stay fit, adapt when teams begin to double-mark him, and refine that finishing touch?

Arteta believes so.

“He hasn’t hit his ceiling,” the manager said.

“He’s just started climbing.

”

And if he’s right — if Viktor Gyökeres continues this trajectory — Arsenal might finally have found not just their striker, but their missing weapon.