Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side do not boast an elite goalscorer. It's a fact, don't argue with us. The Gunners may well sit top of the Premier League but if there was one thing missing from this elite squad, it's a number 9 capable of reaching Erling Haaland's levels.
That, of course, is easier said than done. Harry Kane and Haaland feel like the only strikers capable of putting up a 30-goal season in Europe's top leagues right now.
Viktor Gyokeres will try his hardest to get there. After all, he netted 54 times last term, but he did so in the top-flight of Portuguese football.
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As we've seen, that's evidently a massive step below the top division in English football. That said, the Swede is improving all the time and he looks like he's finally settled in Arsenal colours now.
The numbers behind Arsenal's improvement in the final third
It wasn't long ago that complaints were being made about the quality of Arsenal's forward line.
Arteta's men were seemingly relying on set-pieces and own goals to get over the line. Indeed, in that 3-2 defeat to Manchester United, they only found the net via an own goal from Lisandro Martinez and a corner. While scoring from dead-ball situations has proven sustainable in recent years, relying on the opposition to put the ball in their own net is not.
By the end of January, their joint-top scorer alongside Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard in the Premier League for 2025/26 was own goals (5). However, efforts have been made to improve chance creation and scoring from open play. That's been seen in recent weeks.
Viktor-Gyokeres-Arsenal-Leeds
Arsenal's big-money summer signing at the top end of the pitch now has six strikes to his name in 2026, which is more than any Premier League player in all competitions this calendar year. His form has coincided with Kai Havertz's return to the team.
Havertz played just ten matches in 2025 due to hamstring and knee injuries that plagued his year but he returned with a bang in recent weeks. As a result, news on Wednesday evening that the German will be absent for another three to four weeks with a muscle injury is a gutting blow.
The former Chelsea man has been sensational during his mini return to fitness, scoring against his former employers in the Carabao Cup to take Arsenal to Wembley and finding the net against Kairat Almaty.
Although he played just the opening 45 minutes against the Kazakh opposition, he was electric, also supplying the opening goal with a wonderful through ball into the path of Gyokeres.
Kai Havertz goals per season (timeless)
While it looked as though the German may well dent the Swede's minutes, they have co-existed and Arsenal look better for it. Their form, however, is bad news for one of the club's highest earners, Gabriel Jesus.
Why Gabriel Jesus is on borrowed time
Taking home a reported £265k-per-week, Jesus is one of the highest-paid players in the entire Premier League but has he justified that wage?
Saka-Haaland-Van-Dijk Related
The 25 highest earners in the Premier League (ranked)
Premier League players earn a fortune for their services.
Well, the Brazilian did suffer from a horrendous ACL injury last year so he can be excused on that front. Sadly, though, the former Manchester City striker has struggled with knee injuries right throughout his time in north London and since returning, his form has been patchy to say the least.
Jesus' most notable contributions came in the 3-1 win against Inter Milan at the San Siro where he netted the opening two goals. He also bagged against Leeds off the bench at the back end of January when they won 4-0.
That said, with Havertz returning and Gyokeres now bang in form, his minutes have suffered. He has not played 90 minutes in the Premier League all season and was withdrawn on 58 minutes against Man United and on 60 minutes against Sunderland last Saturday.
That performance against the Black Cats raised alarm bells. Is Jesus really good enough to lead the line for Arsenal right now?
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Well, he is more involved than Gyokeres. He links play well, drops deep and can dribble past a player with a moment of individual magic. That said, he has looked off the pace and there was no better indication of that than against Regis Le Bris' men last weekend.
While Gyokeres came on and had a devastating impact, scoring twice, the Brazil star was a source of huge frustration. He was caught offside three times, which didn't help in the slightest.
Gabriel Jesus career in England
Season
2016/17
2017/18
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
2025/26
He also only had one shot, which amassed a grand total of 0.01 xG. Jesus was never going to score from the chance he created for himself. The striker also failed to win any of his three duels.
For a player who was adjudged to be "a little like Henry" in the words of Ray Parlour, for the way he cut inside from the left, his time at the Emirates sadly looks as though it's coming to an end.
jesus arsenal
With a trip across London to face Brentford on Thursday evening, Jesus simply cannot be part of the starting lineup, even with Havertz injured again. Mikel, Gyokeres is your man for the trip to the Bees.
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Mikel Arteta has plenty of options to choose from at Arsenal but it's not been great news for some in the squad.