Before a ball has even been kicked in the Premier League this season, Arsenal have been installed as favourites.
The Gunners were in pole position even before the Community Shield, but the way in which they swept Manchester City to one side on Sunday was ominous for the rest of the division.
Martin Odegaard looked back to his best, Christos Tzolis was in the groove and Kai Havertz was also among the goals. In the big games, as this one was, he has been trusted by Mikel Arteta to start.
The German was fabulous in Wales on Sunday in a performance that only heaps further pressure on his colleague up top, Viktor Gyokeres.
Why Viktor Gyokeres is under pressure at Arsenal
This season represents a huge one for the Swede. Underperform again and it would not be a surprise if the Gunners sought to get rid of him next summer.
Truth be told, it’s been difficult to really work out Gyokeres since he traded Lisbon for London. As Arsenal won the title, he finished 2025/26 as their top scorer with 21 in all competitions.
Judging by that, the striker had done his job. Arteta needed a goalscorer and that’s what he got, bringing a player with 54 goals for Sporting in 2024/25 to the Emirates Stadium.
Gyokeres was never going to replicate those numbers in England. It simply was not going to happen. Yet, far more was expected of him. He was ruthless in front of goal when he got the chance. Only five strikers had a better conversion rate than him in the Premier League.
However, his overall combination play just left so much to be desired. He couldn’t hold the ball up, his first touch was mediocre and his ability to dribble with the ball was, well, non-existent.
He ranked among the worst 10% of centre-forwards in Europe’s top five leagues last season for successful dribbles per 90 minutes with just 0.28 and only earned a 3.4% share in the team’s progression up the pitch.
Gyokeres further ranked among the worst 28% for progressive passes per 90 and among the lowest 27% for aerial duels won.
This is not a complete striker, it’s a rather one dimensional one and it explains why Havertz was selected ahead of him not just on Sunday but also in the biggest games, such as the Champions League final, last term.
Why Arsenal must sign an upgrade on Gyokeres
It was not the first priority this summer to sign a new striker. Indeed, the Gunners needed to upgrade on Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard on the left-hand side first and foremost.
They have replaced the latter with Tzolis but he is not the ceiling raiser to take Arsenal to the next level. Vinicius Junior would have been, as would Morgan Rogers. Alas, the Gunners failed to get those moves over the line.
As a result, with options wearing thin, investing in a new striker could be the way to upgrade in attack instead. Julian Alvarez has been the dream target for much of this summer but there is now another option on the table, Victor Osimhen.
Andrea Berta has recently been in talks with Galatasaray over the sales of Ethan Nwaneri and Gabriel Martinelli and during those discussions, the future of Osimhen has been discussed.
According to Football Insider, the Nigerian is ‘keen to join Arsenal’ after the terms of a move between the respective parties was explored.
Despite his goalscoring prowess, the striker could be available for as little as a £60m which would represent a bargain in today’s market, one where Rogers left for £117m and PSG superstar Bradley Barcola could fetch a fee north of £140m.
Osimhen may not be playing in a top five league – he is plying his trade in Turkey – but he is still a devastating frontman. Last season, he scored 22 goals in 33 matches. The year prior, the 27-year-old bagged 37. Like Gyokeres, he’s prolific in front of goal but he’s also got a wider skillset.
In some senses, you could describe him as an elite version of the Swede. Described as “one of the best strikers in the world” by Nigeria midfielder Oghenekaro Etebo, Osimhen is a powerhouse like Arsenal’s number 14 but he combines that with more efficiency in other areas of the game. We’ll use the centre-forward’s last season at Napoli to help showcase our point.
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Gyokeres vs Osimhen: The key stats |
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|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Gyokeres (25/26) |
Osimhen (23/24) |
|
Non-penalty goals |
0.44 |
0.54 |
|
Shots |
2.22 |
4.07 |
|
Open play big chances created |
0.16 |
0.23 |
|
Shot-ending carries |
0.36 |
0.59 |
|
Successful dribbles |
0.28 |
0.72 |
|
Progressive carries |
1.37 |
1.58 |
|
Aerial duels won |
1.17 |
1.67 |
As the stats demonstrate, compared to Gyokeres, Osimhen is not a prolific dribbler or creator of chances either. He ranked among the lowest 49% for successful dribbles.
While the latter creates a bit more from open play, he’s not hugely involved in the passing phases of play either. Gyokeres sat among the lowest 19% of strikers for expected threat in the build-up last term, whereas when he was in his final year at Napoli, the Nigerian sensation ranked in the top 54%. That said, despite their limitations, Osimhen will still give you something extra.
Expected Threat (xT) is a metric that quantifies how much a player’s actions (like a pass or carry) increase their team’s probability of scoring.
They are both battering ram strikers. They are not particularly intricate with their play. However, they use their physical power to outmuscle the defence. They both also bring goals.
It just so happens that in that regard, Osimhen is more proven. He won Napoli the Serie A title in 2022/23 with 26 strikes in 32 league outings.
He’s not just been doing it at Galatasary; he’s also done it in one of the biggest leagues in the world. If Arsenal can get their hands on him, they’d be landing an elite version of Gyokeres, a player capable of taking the club to new heights.
