Viktor Gyokeres' lack of inclusion in the Sweden national team could be a blessing in disguise for Arsenal despite injury
15:00, 05 Nov 2025
Viktor Gyokeres of Arsenal is not fit enough to join up with the Sweden national side
View Image
Viktor Gyokeres of Arsenal is not fit enough to join up with the Sweden national side(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
The loss of so many players at the start of the season for Arsenal is no doubt frustrating at the very least for Mikel Arteta. Three senior centre-forwards were out of action as the Gunners put three past Slavia Prague on Tuesday night.
Mikel Merino was again the unorthodox choice to lead the attack. Now it has been revealed that Viktor Gyokeres has not been called up for the Swedish national side having suffered a muscular injury against Burnley.
This could, however, come as something as a blessing in disguise for the Gunners. football.london understands that fears over something more serious for the striker have simmered and there is even hope that he could return for the first match following the international break, the North London Derby.
There are others fighting to return, such as Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz, in addition to Gyokeres. The break comes at a great time for Arsenal, with Arteta confirming that all three longer-term absentees might indeed be welcomed back following the weekend off from domestic action.
“I would say weeks, and some of them pretty soon, hopefully, if they keep evolving the way they are doing,” Arteta said. “Difficult to put a game, you know, that we have the international break, which is a two-week break there.
“And after that, I think we'll have some back. I don't know if it's going to be all of them, some of them, but we'll be quite close by then.”
The break can often be a time of blind faith that none of a manager’s stars will suffer any issues, but with several not joining up with their respective nations as they continue their recovery it means that they’re not at risk of suffering problems while away.
With Arsenal top of the Premier League, joint-top of the Champions League and into the quarter-finals of the League Cup, getting so many players back in the coming weeks should send a clear message out that this team is only going to get better.
Article continues below
Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.