**Viktor Gyokeres hasn’t had the start to the 2026/27 season he may have expected.**
The striker is yet to start a Premier League game for the Gunners this term, and he’s only come off the bench twice for a combined 29 minutes so far.
The early signs for [Viktor Gyokeres](https://www.arsenalinsider.com/tag/viktor-gyokeres/) this season are not good, and, reading between the lines, it would be easy to suggest that the Swede may be leaving the club before too long.
However, according to Fabrizio Romano, speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, that isn’t the case.
Romano says Arsenal are actually very happy with Gyokeres, noting that Mikel Arteta’s side actually knocked back approaches from top La Liga clubs in the summer.
On top of that, he noted that Arsenal expect Gyokeres to be very important this season, hoping that he can be a difference maker in the more tense games that require a more physical striker to lead the line.
“Well, it’s not been an easy start of the season for Gyokeres in the sense that the game time has been limited. So obviously, there are already people talking about what’s going to happen with Gyokeres, what’s going to be the future for Gyokeres. What I can tell you is that in the summer there were clubs interested in Gyokeres.
“Clubs, really top, top clubs, especially from Spain, asking about the situation of Viktor Gyokeres. And the answer from Arsenal was always, the player is not for sale. We trust Gyokeres, we want Gyokeres to stay,” Romano said.
“So Arsenal always maintain the position, they don’t want Gyokeres to go. Okay, the start of the season has been complicated, but they maintain the club, they expect Gyokeres to be very important, especially when the games are going to be tense, complicated, you might need a physical striker like him. So at this stage, Arsenal remain very happy with Gyokeres.
Despite saying that Arsenal are happy with Gyokeres, Romano would later note that there is a chance that the striker does depart the club in 2027.
“Then we have to see in one year, I cannot predict the future. If there is a right club with big money, try to tempt the club and the player, that could be a different story. I’m not saying that Gyokeres is untouchable. I’m saying Arsenal closed the doors in summer 2026, but 2027 is another story.”
It remains to be seen whether or not Gyokeres can make a big impact in these big games, but the fact that there is internal belief at Arsenal bodes well for the striker.
One thing is for sure, Gyokeres needs to buck up his ideas if he’s to become the player Arsenal expected him to be when he joined for big money.