Arsenal legend Alan Smith says Viktor Gyokeres will need to up his game if he wants to keep his place in the starting lineup.
Mikel Merino impressed while the Swede was out injured, and speaking to Best Betting Sites UK, Smith said that the Spanish midfielder, along with Kai Havertz, give manager Mikel Arteta other options if Gyokeres continues to struggle:
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“I think Gyokeres can make runs behind and push that opposing defence back a little bit. With Merino, they could squeeze because he will drop off. But he’s done brilliantly well, hasn’t he? The Spaniard. Surprisingly well, I think none of us thought because he’s converted into a striker from a midfielder, so the options there, which is great for Arteta.”
“Havertz isn’t too far away, I think so, and that might help Gyokeres. He doesn’t want to be sat on the bench, so it might spur him into action to have that competition. Nice problem to have for Arsenal, having talent like that.”
When will Havertz be available again?
As Smith mentions, the German isn’t far from making his comeback from a knee injury, although his return date has been pushed back ever so slightly.
After suffering a setback last month, it was still hoped that Havertz would be available before the end of the calendar year, but it looks like we may not see him before early to mid-January now.
Arteta also has another Arsenal striker at his disposal
One player that Smith doesn’t mention is Gabriel Jesus. He looked sharp after coming off the bench against Club Brugge in the Champions League last week, and while he didn’t get credited with the winner versus Wolves, he did cause problems for the Gunners’ last opponents.
With Jesus, Merino and Havertz vying for starts, Gyokeres knows he can’t afford many more poor performances.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here