What Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal transfer means for Mikel Arteta and Premier League title aim

The expected arrival of Viktor Gyokeres finally solves a major issue that Arsenal have had for many seasons. The striker has been a persistent desire of the club and Mikel Arteta.

He has made reference to the lack of a major goalscorer for quite some time and did so memorably in the summer of 2023, after a friendly victory over Barcelona. Speaking about the performance of Gabriel Jesus after the game, despite not scoring, Arteta unveiled something about his view of the team.

“If we have somebody that can score 25, 30, 40 goals, then great,” he said. “Today, Gabby didn’t score, but it’s the best Gabby that I’ve seen for months.

“And the contribution from Kai [Havertz] as well—that’s why he’s playing; he’s got that quality in and around that position with Leo. We have a lot of options up front, and they’re going to have to compete between them to give me a hard time.”

Now though, Arsenal do have a striker who has a record of scoring not just 25, not just 30, not even just 40 but more than 50 goals in a single season. Gyokeres has been Europe’s top scorer across the last two seasons, and his arrival is meant to change everything for the Gunners.

In turn, this adds expectation, particularly on Arteta. His last trophy came in 2020. The club have failed to lift a piece of silverware in the last five seasons despite spending more than half a billion on players.

They have, however, elevated themselves into contention for the games’ biggest honours. Reaching consistent semi-finals and three runners-up placements in the Premier League. With the addition of Gyokeres and potentially five, six or even seven other players this summer, the pressure to win has never been greater.

We do not know what the season might look like, but Arteta now has the spearhead of his attack reinforced, and the squad has further depth in key areas such as the right wing, defensive midfield, and the right side of the defence. Arsenal have never been this well-equipped to take on a brand new season.

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