Analysis of Viktor Gyokeres and his start at Arsenal: will he make the Gunners a better team?
It is fair to say that the jury is still somewhat divided on Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Some fans see a £64m bargain that finally gives Mikel Arteta the presence of a real striker. Others see a player who feels stylistically more Keir Starmer than Gabriel Jesus.
A week on from his player of the match performance against Atletico Madrid, this feels like the right time to assess his start to life in north London: what’s working, what’s not, and what the numbers actually say.
Gyokere’s xG vs goals: the numbers behind his finishing
The headline figure is simple: three Premier League goals in nine games, no assists. For a £64million striker, that sounds disappointing. But the context is important.
Last season at Sporting CP, Gyokeres was one of Europe’s most clinical finishers, with an xG overperformance of +0.26 per 90 minutes. This is elite-level efficiency, even slightly above Erling Haaland’s numbers for the season.
That number has dropped to -0.08 this season, meaning he’s scoring more or less exactly what the quality of his chances would suggest.
Last season, Gyokeres exceeded his expected goals by +0.26 per 90 at Sporting CP – an elite figure on par with Haaland’s this season. This year he is performing slightly below his xG (−0.08), which suggests he is now finishing slightly below the pace he expects based on the quality of his chances. Data source: FBref.
On paper that’s fine. Arsenal have created 3.7 xG of chances for him in the Premier League and he has scored three goals. A little below expectations, yes. But hardly a crisis.
Statistically, he performs as an average centre-forward in England’s most demanding system.
What has changed is not his talent, but his environment. He has gone from being the focal point of Sporting’s attack to being a cog in Arteta’s highly structured machine. For now, he’s adapting, and the numbers reflect that.
Gyokeres analysis: no chances in big games
Where the concern creeps in is the shot volume, or more specifically, the lack thereof in Arsenal’s biggest games.
Gyokeres played all 90 minutes against both Liverpool and Manchester City without registering a single shot. Not on target, not on target, nothing.
That’s not just a Gyokeres problem; It’s an Arsenal problem. In those matches, Arsenal’s control-oriented game plan left their striker without serves. He still made his trademark runs, constantly stretching the defense, but the ball never came.
And that’s where the conversation shifts. Because while some will point to his finishing, others will argue that Arsenal are still learning with him.
Off-the-Ball Movement: Gyokeres’ Invisible Power
According to data from Opta, Viktor Gyokeres has made more off-the-ball runs than any other Premier League player this season. That statistic alone changes the story.
These are the kind of runs that Arsenal simply didn’t have last season. Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino often dropped deep or drifted wide; Gyokeres runs after him. He opens up spaces for others to exploit, even when he doesn’t get the ball himself.
Take Declan Rice’s goal against West Ham: it only happens because Gyokeres drags three defenders into the six-yard box, clearing the zone for Rice to arrive unmarked. It’s not an assist, it’s not even a touch, but it’s still influence.
So while his finishing has been patchy, his presence is reshaping Arsenal’s attack. The team looks more vertical, more dangerous and much less predictable.
Gyokeres analysis: what he brings and where he falls short
Strengths
Relentless off-ball movement and pressure
Physical strength to pin down defenders and play in transition
Effective links game – simple, safe and targeted
Finishing ability on two feet
Mentality: never stops, never hides
Limits
Not elite in aerial duels, cannot yet function as an away ball
Can engage defenders too early when attacking space
Finishing under pressure can be rushed or “snatched off”.
Not technically elite like Kane, nor explosively fast like Haaland
In short: Gyokeres does everything at a high level, but not at an elite level. He is not an elite striker, but he is an effective one.
He is more Diego Costa than Thierry Henry: a physical, mentality-oriented striker who thrives on repetition, aggression and chaos rather than finesse.
Arsenal’s tactical adjustment: still a work in progress
The key now is adaptation – on both sides. Gyokeres needs to relax and trust his instincts, but Arsenal’s creative players need to trust him too.
He is constantly available for passes into the channel, but they require taking risks – the kind of courageous, low-percentage passes that his teammates are sometimes hesitant to play.
Against Liverpool and City, Arsenal was accused by many of playing with the “handbrake on”. That kind of conservatism doesn’t help their striker when he needs goals.
When Arsenal feed him early they look much more dangerous, and it was Gyokeres’ movement and tenacity that earned him two goals against Atletico Madrid, even if they weren’t the cleanest of goals.
The system is still evolving and adapting, and the partnership between the attacker and his teammates is still being written.
Gyokeres’ final efficiency (goals minus xG per 90) compared to selected Premier League forwards, 2025/26 season (as of October 28). Values close to zero indicate that players are completing odds approximately in line with expectations. Data source: FBref.
Gyokere’s minutes played: the overlooked factor behind his form?
Another element that deserves more attention is how much Viktor Gyokeres has played.
Injuries to both Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus have left Arsenal with little choice but to rely heavily on their new striker.
Of all Arsenal’s outfield players, only Gabriel Magalhaes (1,065) and Martin Zubimendi (1,025) have played more minutes in all competitions than Gyokeres (1,011).
| Player | Minutes played |
| David Raya | 1,080 |
| Gabriel Magalhaes | 1,065 |
| Martin Zubimendi | 1,023 |
| Viktor Gyokeres | 1,011 |
| Declan Rice | 937 |
| The wood jury | 907 |
| William Saliba | 814 |
| Riccardo Calafiori | 784 |
| God bless you | 700 |
| Bukayo Saka | 671 |
Table of the top 10 Arsenal players with most minutes played in all competitions, as of October 28, 2025. Data source: FBref.
That’s a huge workload for a player who is still adjusting to both a new competition and a new tactical environment. The plan would almost certainly have been for him to rotate more, especially during this early entry phase.
Instead, he has been asked to play everything: the stoppages in the matches, the adjustment and the control. It’s easy to imagine that with just a few more breathers and less physical toll, his finishing sharpness and confidence would already look sharper.
It also ties into a broader point about how Arteta is managing this team on multiple fronts. With Arsenal aiming for more success under Arteta, squad depth is suddenly more important than ever.
Are Arsenal better with Gyokeres?
Is Viktor Gyokeres the perfect striker for Arsenal? Probably not. But is he exactly what they need right now? Very possible.
He is a disruptor. A player whose mere presence in the penalty area bends defenders and creates goals for others. His xG and finishing numbers are steady, his work rate is unquestionable and his mentality in terms of his determination to score as many goals as possible is extraordinary.
Yeah, he’s not Haaland. He’s not Harry Kane. But he is already helping Arsenal become a less predictable and more dangerous attacking team – one capable of winning the biggest trophies.
Imperfect? Certainly. But perfectly effective.
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