Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta finds his marquee summer signing Viktor Gyökeres a big threat to the opposition and believes the Swede’s physicality will bring a new element to the side’s attacking play this season. Arteta issued a warning to the defenders after Gyokeres scored his first goal for the club on Saturday.
Gyökeres scored Arsenal’s opening goal in a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, with Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz also finding the net as they lifted the Emirates Cup to cap pre-season. The Gunners will begin their Premier League campaign with a tough match-up against rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford Stadium on August 17.
Arteta warned the other teams that if they leave Gyokeres in a one v one situation, “he will destroy you”.
“That’s his nature, I think everything that he does, his movement, the way he times his runs, the way he predicts the next move and where the space can be and where the ball is going to land, that’s the instinct that he has, that’s why he’s scored so many goals in the last few seasons so that’s not a coincidence, it’s his ability and he’s constantly looking for it,” said Arteta after Arsenal’s Emirates Cup win.
“Well I think his goals, his threat, I think he pins both centre backs, he’s a player that when you’re living with a space, one against one, he’s going to destroy you. So he’s going to create a lot of space as well for us and yeah, the moment that in any situation there is a player there that can score a goal,” he added.
Proven match-winner
The 27-year-old Swede scored 68 Primeira Liga goals in two seasons for Sporting FC after joining from Coventry City in 2023 – the most by any player in Europe’s top 10 leagues in that time. During his two seasons with Sporting, Gyökeres helped the team win back-to-back Primeira Liga titles, a national cup, and was the league’s top scorer in both campaigns. He has also excelled at the international level, scoring 12 goals in his last 17 appearances for Sweden.
Gyökeres started the frontline with Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli on Saturday in support, with Kai Havertz coming off the bench to score Arsenal’s third goal. However, it’s still unclear whether Havertz will find a place in Arsenal’s playing XI.
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To clear the air on Havertz and Gyökeres playing together, Arteta said, “Kai can play in different positions, as well. I think it elevates the quality in the squad, the goal threat that we have in the team, the options that we have to change and provide the opposition with a lot of problems. It is great to see both of them scoring, both of them in such good form and it’s a good problem to have.”
