Gyokeres-Arsenal
Ahead of the recent summer transfer window, Arsenal had one main goal to complete: spending big to help improve the club’s attacking department.
Despite winning the Premier League for the first time in over two decades, Mikel Arteta craved added reinforcements in such an area to further strengthen the Gunners’ chance of retaining the title.
The likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard were both moved on from the Emirates to help raise funds and land the elite-level attacker the manager so desperately craved.
Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
Whilst Christos Tzolis arrived in North London, the need for another centre-forward has become evident in recent weeks due to the struggles of one senior player.
Why Arsenal desperately needed to replace Gyokeres this summer
When any striker scores 21 times across all competitions, you would expect fans to claim he’s had a decent season - but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Viktor Gyökeres.
The Swede arrived from Sporting CP for a fee in the region of £63m in an attempt to bolster the club’s attacking department ahead of their title hunt in the Premier League.
Arsenal-Viktor-Gyokeres
However, a little over a year after his move to the Emirates, many supporters have written off the 28-year-old and demanded that added reinforcements be signed in such an area.
He’s only featured for 12 minutes in the Premier League this campaign, with Arteta seemingly preferring the likes of Kai Havertz ahead of him in the pecking order.
Gyokeres was handed a second start of the 2026/27 campaign against Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, but once again failed to deliver.
The striker could only muster 18 touches during his 90-minute display in midweek, but still managed to miss a big chance and put the finish on a high-scoring win for the Gunners.
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Viktor Gyokeres - stats against Ipswich
Statistics
Minutes played
Shots
Touches
Successful dribbles
Possession lost
Carries
Key passes
Accurate passes
Duels won
His hold-up play was also called into question after the performance at Portman Road, as he lost two-thirds of the aerial battles whilst also losing 100% of his ground duels.
How Arsenal have already signed a mini Alvarez
As part of Arsenal’s attempts to secure a new centre-forward, the hierarchy made a beeline for a move for Atletico Madrid talisman Julian Alvarez during the closing stages of the window.
The Argentine was itching for a move away from Diego Simeone’s men, but ultimately was unable to secure his request and has since been reintegrated into the senior ranks.
REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Despite the interest from Arteta’s men during the summer, the player himself was only interested in a move to Barcelona - which massively scuppered the Gunners’ chances of landing his signature.
As a result, Gyokeres has remained one of the club’s main striking options alongside Havertz, but that could be about to change in the near future.
During the last few weeks, Arsenal have secured the signature of 18-year-old striker Igor Tyjon from Championship side Blackburn Rovers for a fee in the region of £2m.
He may be an unknown quantity to many Gunners supporters, but the Englishman could well have a huge part to play for the senior team in the years ahead.
The youngster has linked up with the U21 side since his subsequent transfer and has already made two appearances - including one in the EFL Trophy against Leyton Orient.
Prior to his move to North London, Tyjon managed to catch the eye at Ewood Park, subsequently scoring six times in 15 appearances for Rovers’ U21 squad.
He’s even developed into a key member of the England U18 squad, with the teenager scoring twice in his first three appearances at such an age category.
Tyjon is also capable of featuring in a number ten position alongside his preferred centre-forward role - something which Alvarez has done consistently throughout his career.
His small frame and low centre of gravity could see him emulate the Argentine’s success in Europe and potentially become a first-team regular under Arteta.
Atletico-Julian-Alvarez
Such a decision would undoubtedly see Gyokeres’ minutes diminish in the near future, which could also see him move even closer to a potential early exit from the Emirates.
It’s certainly early days in Tyjon’s time at Arsenal, but it appears as though the hierarchy have an early plan in place to aid his development after his multi-million-pound move.
Should he get anywhere near Alvarez’s level during his professional career, the move would be a bargain and one that could make the club a bigger force to be reckoned with in Europe.