Arteta Backs Gyökeres After Lean Start

Viktor Gyökeres, signed from Sporting for around £55m, has endured a lean start at Arsenal — three goals in eight appearances with several goalless games. He has been stifled in some matches (notably by Newcastle) and had a potential penalty overturned by VAR. Mikel Arteta has consistently backed him, praising his work‑rate, temperament, link‑up play and physical presence. Under the surface, Gyökeres’ finishing and shot metrics have dipped compared with his 97-in-102 record at Sporting, but staff value his contributions to Arsenal’s patterns beyond goals. In midweek Champions League action Arsenal beat Olympiakos 2-0 — Bukayo Saka scored and both Martin Ødegaard and Gyökeres played the full 90 minutes. The club expects his goal output to improve as he adapts to the Premier League and Arsenal’s system.