It was the greatest week in Arsenal's recent history, and one of the most painful at the same time.
Six days after ending a 22-year wait to lift the Premier League trophy once more, the Gunners were in Budapest for the Champions League final, leading Paris Saint Germain through Kai Havertz’s early opener.
Arsenal led for almost an hour before Ousmane Dembele’s penalty brought things level. The German’s opener turned out to be Arsenal’s only shot on target of the entire match, which went the distance before Gabriel’s missed penalty ensured the Champions League title went back to Paris.
For all the hurt of that night, however, Arteta is already turning his attention to the transfer window, and one performance in particular appears to have accelerated his thinking in the market.
Viktor Gyokeres' Champions League Final Was One to Forget
Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres celebrates scoring
Viktor Gyokeres finished the 2025/26 season as Arsenal's top scorer with 21 goals, and nobody can take that away from him. But goals alone don’t tell the whole story, and his display in Budapest after coming on for Martin Odegaard in the 66th minute, as a direct response to PSG's equaliser, was deeply underwhelming.
The numbers, via SofaScore, make for uncomfortable reading. In his 54 minutes on the pitch, Gyokeres had 20 touches and lost the ball ten times – meaning he lost the ball every second touch. He also completed just six of his 12 passes and won only four of his 12 duels.
What Arsenal desperately needed in that final half an hour, and throughout extra time, was a striker capable of holding the ball up under pressure and relieving the siege PSG were laying on.
He provided almost none of that.
A deflected effort that fizzed wide late in extra-time was the extent of his attacking contribution. He did convert his penalty in the shoot-out, but by that point, the damage had already been done.
Bournemouth's Kroupi Emerges as Target to Replace Viktor Gyokeres
AFC Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi celebrates
AFC Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi celebrates
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, who was speaking soon after the final whistle, Arsenal are understood to be exploring alternatives in the striker position.
One name attracting serious attention is Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi. The young forward has already been linked and represents a very different profile to Gyokeres. He’s more technical, more comfortable in tight spaces, and better suited to the kind of intricate, possession-based football Arteta demands from his squad. At only 19-years-old, described as a 'killer', he scored just one less goal than the Swede in last season’s Premier League (13).
Gyokeres' goals were crucial in delivering the title. But if Kroupi is indeed the man Arsenal are targeting, it suggests the club believe there’s a more complete option out there, one who can contribute when the goals aren’t flowing as well, and when the game needs winning in a different way.