Viktor Gyokeres Eager to Prove Himself at Arsenal

Given his record at Sporting, and prior to that in English football with Coventry, you would have thought that rival fans would have waited a while before attempting to pick supposed holes in the game of Viktor Gyokeres.

He was, however, only a matter of minutes into his pre-season debut for the Gunners before questions were being asked of whether Mikel Arteta had truly found the fabled final piece in a title-winning jigsaw.

There was more than a hint of jealousy in some of the accusations being levelled at Gyokeres, with the Swedish striker having snubbed interest from several other clubs in order to end up at Emirates Stadium.

Lofty expectations

He is now looking to deliver on lofty expectations, with Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest odds tipping the 1/3 Gunners to make a winning return to domestic action after the first international break of 2025-26.

The north London giants are aware of the need to build momentum in order to earn favour in Premier League betting markets.

Gyokeres was acquired to aid that challenge, with his impressive strike rate hinting at being the prolific No.9 that Arsenal has been crying out for. An early goal was always going to be required in order to settle collective nerves.

That duly arrived in a 5-0 mauling of Leeds United, with Gyokeres going on to bag a brace that day. He was most definitely up and running, with a point being made to any detractors that were desperate to write him off.

A largely forgettable outing had been endured a week earlier at Manchester United, with the Red Devils fully aware of the threat posed by a frontman that had been registering on their own recruitment radar - with Ruben Amorim having worked with Gyokeres in Portugal.

Online jokes focused on how many times the Swede touched his hair at Old Trafford, with said tally considered to have topped his number of touches. Jibes such as that always have the potential to come back and haunt the poster.

So it proved at the Emirates against Leeds, with Gyokeres saying with a smile when asked if his hair brushing celebration was a nod towards his doubters: “Yeah, it might be. It could be something to do with that.”

Ambitious character

As an ambitious character, Gyokeres needs no added motivation to deliver for Arsenal. He is desperate to prove that he can be a fearsome presence in the Premier League, with major honours expected to follow if he does come good.

Any mocking of his on-field antics, however playful and tongue-in-cheek that may be, will only serve as added fuel for the fire. Gyokeres fully intends to ignite and has shown enough to suggest that it will not take much to light the fuse.

Rivals, on and off the pitch, have been warned, but whether that message is heeded and leads to the biting of a few tongues remains to be seen.

Published by Patrick Jane
10.09.2025