Arsenal v Manchester United - Premier League
Mikel Arteta’s side have failed to win any of their last three Premier League games (Picture: Getty)
Kieran Gibbs has launched s staunch defence of under-fire Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres but insists he is unlikely to be Mikel Arteta’s first choice for the remainder of the season.
The Sweden international joined the Gunners from Sporting Lisbon in the summer but has struggled to adapt to the demands of Premier League football.
Indeed, the 27-year-old hasn’t scored from open play in the top flight since September and started Sunday’s game against Manchester United on the bench.
Two goals in cup games against Chelsea and Inter suggested the former Coventry City star had turned a corner but he failed to make an impact when summoned from the bench against United.
Gibbs, who played alongside Mikel Arteta in two FA Cup winning Arsenal teams, is adamant it is too soon to write Gyokeres off and believes his teammates still need more time to adjust to playing with a more traditional focal point in attack.
‘I think they’re conditioned, if you go back over the last 10 years, all Arsenal fans have really been crying out for is a centre forward,’ Gibbs told ESPN FC.
‘I think Gyokeres has only just come in to fit that profile of the type of striker that Arsenal have desperately wanted for so many years.
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‘The majority of the team are conditioned to playing without an out and out centre forward so I think there’s just an adjustment period there with Gyokeres.
‘I love him by the way it’s just taken him a bit more time and maybe not even him time, it’s also taking time for the players around him to get used to playing with him.
‘He’s got to make the toughest decisions of his career, this is the biggest couple of months coming up. Ideally he would want Kai Havertz back and he’d actually go with him if he’s fit.’
FC Internazionale Milano v Arsenal FC - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7
Arsenal are yet to see the best of Viktor Gyokeres (Picture: Getty)
Pressed as to whether Arteta was losing faith in his headline summer recruit, Gibbs added: ‘I don’t think you can call him a bust after six months you’ve got to give him more time.
‘He’s an out and out goalscorer, a born goalscorer, you can see that. There’s other parts to the team that lead to a striker firing on all cylinders.
‘If you take him into consideration across the board there’s been a bit of a drought. Martinelli, Saka, Madueke, I think we’re used to seeing across the front three high numbers so I don’t think it’s solely on him.
‘For me it’s purely mental and listen I wasn’t part of a team that won the Premier League so I don’t know what it takes to get past that final hurdle. From the outside it looks like they’ve lost that enjoyment and they are just desperate to get the job done.’
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