Viktor Gyokeres has gone nine games without a goal for club and country but Arsenal team-mate Mikel Merino isn't worried about how their £64million signing is faring
LONDON COLNEY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 20: Mikel Merino of Arsenal during the Arsenal press conference at Sobha Realty Training Centre on October 20, 2025 in London Colney, England. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Mikel Merino made his thoughts clear(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Mikel Merino insists Viktor Gyokeres has already adapted to English football - and his ’unbelievable’ work rate proves it. Gunners striker Gyokeres has managed just three goals since his £64million arrival in the summer and has now gone 533 minutes since his last goal for Arsenal.
Gyokeres is in the spotlight because of his huge price tag, together with the fact Arsenal had been looking for a new centre forward for so long, and the pressure is on him to deliver, starting with the Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
But Merino insists his teammates already appreciate what he is doing for the team and it is also unfair just to judge him on goals because his all-round game has brought a new dimension to Arsenal.
Arsenal midfielder Merino said: “Well, to be honest, I don’t think it is taking a lot for him to adapt. I think he is really good. He is giving us many, many options on and off the ball.
“The work rate he puts in during every single game, you have to see the data, it is unbelievable how much he helps the team on and off the ball.
“Sometimes it is unfair for the strikers, because if you don’t score it seems like you are not doing anything. But he is providing a lot for us and I am sure goals will come.
“I am sure that he wants to score as much as everyone else, but the main thing is to help the team win. We are a team, we are a collective, so I am pretty sure that he is also happy that he is providing the best performances on and off the ball for his team-mates.”
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was desperate to sign a 20-goal-a-season striker after injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus derailed last season’s title challenge. But Merino insists that Sweden international Gyokeres - who scored 97 goals in 102 games for former club Sporting Lisbon - will be prolific in English football.
Gyokeres hit six goals - including a hat trick against Manchester City - in the Champions League alone last season, and those figures and output helped persuade Arsenal that he could switch from Portuguese football into the Premier League.
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 18: Viktor Gyokeres of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Fulham and Arsenal at Craven Cottage on October 18, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Viktor Gyokeres hasn't scored since September 13
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Gyokeres looked to be struggling for confidence at Fulham on Saturday when he drew another blank but it was also obvious just how much his teammates were trying to help and also willing him to score. Merino said: “He has the quality, for sure.
“He has the tools, the physicality, he has the players around him to feed him those goals and it is a matter of time that he is going to score goals. That is for sure.
“We cannot be focusing only on the numbers. I know these days in modern football, numbers matter a lot. But if you see the games, you can see how much he gives us.
“I see him pretty confident. I think he is a really confident guy. You can see every day in training that he does the right things. As long as he keeps working, keeps providing us with the best performances…I feel that he knows what he is capable of.
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 01: Mikel Merino of Arsenal issues instructions to teammate Viktor Gyokeres during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Arsenal FC and Olympiacos FC at Arsenal Stadium on October 01, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Mikel Merino believes in Viktor Gyokeres(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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“He has scored, I don’t know how many goals last season, and it is not something that you forget from one day to another. He is going to be there and we all trust him. We all know he is a top-class player and I think that’s it.
“With Viktor, we try to show him love and try to support him - but that is just the main mentality that we have as a team. Everyone needs that love, everyone needs to feel comfortable, to feel surrounded by nice people and a team that they can count on.
“So, Viktor is just an example [of that], but I think everyone is wishing him to keep doing what he is doing. Obviously, if he scores goals, it is even better for everyone and for him as well. But the main thing, as I said before, is that the team wins. As long as the team is winning he, and everybody, is going to be happy.”
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