The Arsenal squad have been told they can do more to help Viktor Gyokeres amid the Sweden international's struggles so far this season
13:00, 24 Jan 2026
Mikel Arteta is yet to get the best out of Viktor Gyokeres at Arsenal
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Mikel Arteta is yet to get the best out of Viktor Gyokeres at Arsenal(Image: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Viktor Gyokeres has been urged to be more like Thierry Henry, with the striker's teammates told they must feed him even more in order for the Arsenal man to flourish in the Premier League.
The 27-year-old has endured a frustrating time at Emirates Stadium since completing the £64million summer move from Sporting CP. The Sweden international has scored nine goals in 27 appearances but now faces competition from Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.
Former Gunners star Emmanuel Eboue has urged Gyokeres to be more assertive with his teammates, just like Henry was, in order to get more goalscoring chances. Speaking to Aceodds.com, Eboue said: "I watched him a lot when he played in Portugal and he is a very good striker. He is strong, but the problem is that the wingers don't use him often enough. All of them want to score, but he is the striker. His job is to score.
"Henry always told me, Clichy, Ashley Cole and all the other guys, that he was the striker. He needed to score. He told us that he knew we wanted to score, but our job was not to score. Our job was to produce chances.
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“At training we always tried our best to give Henry confidence. We fed him, and they need to do that. He is a good striker. He needs more confidence, so his teammates need to help him.”
Arsenal welcome Manchester United to Emirates Stadium on Sunday with Mikel Arteta's side currently seven points clear at the top of the Premier League. Manchester City and Aston Villa are both seven points behind the Gunners, while Liverpool in fourth place trail by a huge 14 points.
Eboue believes Arsenal must not take their foot off the gas, however. “They have to do more, because the game against [Nottingham] Forest could have been better," he said. "But I am 100% sure that this season is going to be Arsenal's season. When Arsenal are dropping points, Man City are not capitalising.
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“So, I think this year is going to be the year for Arsenal. Of course, if Arsenal doesn't win any trophy, the fans will be very disappointed. I have some friends who are Arsenal fans and they are always saying that this year has to be the year.
“If they don't win, the fans will be disappointed, but I wouldn’t worry, as I think they have enough. Man City have a good squad, but they are making a lot of mistakes this season. It has been very difficult for them to win, even against the small teams. Arsenal have to take advantage of this and Arsenal have to win all their games. The reason why they have to do more is also because I think that City will try to fight back.”
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