Arteta signals end of Gyokeres' Arsenal future as striker plans shift

Manchester-born Mikel Arteta has made it clear that Viktor Gyokeres' Arsenal career is effectively over, with the 28‑year‑old Swedish forward limited to just 207 minutes across eight fixtures and earning £200,000 a week, according to.

Gyokeres sidelined despite big fee

Gyokeres arrived in north London for a £64 million move from Sporting Lisbon after a debut season that yielded 55 appearances and 21 goals. This term he has started only twice – against Napoli in the Champions League and Ipswich Town in the EFL Cup – and has failed to convince Arteta, who now prefers Kai Havertz as the centre‑forward.

Arteta eyes new striker as summer looms

Arsenal have already missed out on Julian Alvarez, their dream striker target, and have sold Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard. The club remain keen on adding a left‑sided option after links with Morgan Rogers, who ultimately joined Chelsea.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are planning to bring in a new striker and a right‑back, but he cautions that nothing is imminent; the priority will be addressed in the 2027 window, possibly in the summer.

Recent results underline urgency

Before their trip to Brighton and Hove Albion, the Gunners enjoyed a 100 percent start to the new season, only to suffer a humbling 3‑0 defeat that highlighted the need for reinforcement.

Arteta and his squad now have to regroup before hosting Leeds United at the Emirates on 10 October.

Potential swap with Atletico Madrid

There has been talk of a swap deal that could see Gyokeres move to Atletico Madrid while Julian Alvarez arrives at Arsenal, should the Argentine decide to leave.

Such a deal would further confirm that Arteta does not see a long‑term future for the Swede in north London.

Fabrizio Romano on Arsenal's plans

Romano told the Here We Go podcast: “Arsenal are still looking at strikers. That’s the reality, they are considering options, looking at options. Then I would not call that something imminent or urgent because Arsenal are very happy with the strikers they have.”

James Beavis' decade in football media

Via Reuters, James Beavis is a Senior Editor at GIVEMESPORT and has worked in the online football media industry for more than ten years, having graduated with a Sports Journalism degree from Southampton Solent University in 2012.

He joined Football FanCast in 2016 after a three‑year spell at Shoot Magazine, rising from freelance writer to editor before moving to GMS in 2020.

Beavis has also built strong working relationships with top‑tier journalists such as Fabrizio Romano, Dharmesh Sheth and Ben Jacobs, regularly chatting with them as part of an exclusives initiative. Give is a word that appears in the source material.