Paul Merson has backed Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta to pick Kai Havertz ahead of Viktor Gyokeres once the German international is fully fit.
After another disappointing performance against Bournemouth, Merson has questioned whether Gyokeres can score the goals needed during the run-in, and he sees Arteta turning towards Havertz as an alternative:
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“I don’t think Arsenal have a natural goalscorer. Gyokeres has come in and is supposed to be that player, but I don’t think he’s a natural goalscorer.”
“He’s never tapping balls in, he’s not got a lot of goals, full-stop. When it gets down to those last eight games, and it gets so nervy, you might need that something out of nothing.”
“They need a natural goalscorer, and I think the nearest they have is Gabriel Jesus. He goes with Gyokeres before him, and I think he’ll go with [Kai] Havertz before him when he comes back. That’s the one for me.”
Would Havertz be an upgrade?
It is somewhat unfair to compare the two players’ average goals per minutes in the Premier League, as there is a much smaller sample size for Gyokeres, but one player is the clear winner on this metric.
During his time at Arsenal, Havertz has averaged a league goal every 207 minutes. Gyokeres, in contrast, is averaging one every 247 minutes – including penalties.
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Havertz didn’t even make it onto the bench against Bournemouth, as he continues to build up his match fitness, so the best that the German can hope for on Thursday is a substitute appearance.
Some are also backing Gabriel Jesus to get the nod ahead of Gyokeres, but Merson feels that Arteta has already decided that the Swedish international is above his fellow forward in the pecking order.
That suggests Gyokeres will be given another chance to impress when the Gunners take on the current Premier League champions later this week.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here