French Media: Gyökeres Marginalized, Yet to Play in Premier League This Season

According to Foot Mercato, Gyökeres has not represented Arsenal in the Premier League this new season.

Gyökeres' start to the 2026-2027 season at Arsenal has already raised questions. Arsenal signed the Swedish forward in the summer of 2025 for around 70 million euros including bonuses. In his first season in London, he scored 21 goals and provided 3 assists in all competitions, but those figures were far below his final season at Sporting CP, when he scored 54 goals and recorded 12 assists. One year after joining, Gyökeres is now facing a difficult situation.

Since the start of the season, Arteta has given Gyökeres almost no role. The striker has yet to appear in the Premier League and has only played in one match. His only appearance came in the Community Shield against Manchester City, which Arsenal won 3-0. Havertz started as the central striker and scored, while Gyökeres came on as a substitute in the 75th minute. After that, Gyökeres was left out of Arsenal's Premier League matches against Coventry and Aston Villa, remaining on the bench.

This marginal role is even more surprising because Arsenal's form has not forced Arteta to change his choices. Arsenal have remained unbeaten so far this season and won the Community Shield by defeating Manchester City. Havertz has been a key figure in the attack, scoring 2 goals in 3 matches and starting the last two Premier League games. Gyökeres being limited to the bench suggests that Arteta currently has little reason to alter his existing attacking setup.

Transfer market developments also help explain the situation. Despite already having Gyökeres in the squad, Arsenal actively looked for another striker this summer, exploring the possibility of signing the Little Spider and also making contact with Lautaro Martinez's representatives, according to the Daily Mail. These attempts were ultimately unsuccessful, but they showed that Arteta wanted another attacking option after Jesus' departure. After spending 70 million euros on Gyökeres last summer, Arsenal continued searching for a number nine, which is a signal that the 28-year-old forward should pay attention to.

The question also remains whether Gyökeres fits Arteta's requirements. Gyökeres is a powerful striker who excels at attacking space and creating danger inside the penalty area, while Arteta appears to place more value on a player's ability to participate in build-up play and drop deeper to link with teammates. Merino being used as a 'false nine' also reflects this preference.

Last Friday, when asked about the level of his attacking line, Arteta said: "I love my players, that's all I can say. How do you want to rank them? I don't know." Arteta also said: "I think at the end of the season, we will put everybody where they have to be and trust them. We have to make sure that we fully support them and do everything we can to help the incredible talent they have."

However, it is still too early to declare Gyökeres a failure. He has previously shown that he can recover his position after setbacks. Comparisons have also inevitably been made with Goncalo Ramos' situation at Paris Saint-Germain last season: even if a striker can score goals and maintain decent statistics, they can quickly lose their competitive advantage if their characteristics do not fully match the manager's requirements. Arsenal invested a significant fee in Gyökeres, making a split between the two sides unlikely, but the beginning of his second season in London has clearly been unfavorable. This Sunday's match against Chelsea could become an important turning point for the former Sporting CP forward.