New Arsenal No. 9 Viktor Gyokeres is beginning to hit his stride in more games than just Champions League outings, as the big Swede put two past Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend to bring his season tally up to 15 goals in all competition, placing him within three of setting the record for most goals by a striker under Mikel Arteta.
Since taking over for Arsenal in 2019, Arteta has been known for defensive solidity and control of the midfield, not prolific goal-scoring. He even got rid of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after inheriting one of the Premier League’s most talented striker partnerships in ex-Ligue 1 duo Alexandre Lacazette and Auba.
Laca’s 2020/21 season, to this point in time, was the most prolific goal-scoring season by a striker under Arteta’s rule with 17 goals in all competitions – hardly the most emphatic return.
According to LiveScore, Gyokeres has 15 goals in all competitions now and is oh-so-close to breaking the Lacazette mark in just his first season in the Premier League, furthering the notion that the true No. 9 has been an asset to Arteta and Arsenal.
Gyokeres has already matched Aubameyang’s 15 goals in that same 2020/21 season, as well as Kai Havertz’s 15 goals in the preceding 2024/25 campaign. He’s already topped the fifth-best goal-scoring season by an Arteta striker, which was Gabriel Jesus’s meager 11 goals in the 2022/23 campaign.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.