Viktor Gyokeres has transgressed into that painful stage that all Arsenal strikers fear, of the nearly but not quite stage. He has four league games, and has not scored a goal, and the Arsenal fans are as nervous as a cat on a hot plate. The Swede who used to make Portuguese defenders the training cones now appears like a man attempting to gulp confidence using bad Wi-Fi. Arsenal is the topper of the league, and Arteta appears to be as relaxed as a man who is drinking on a thunderstorm.
Until the season started, according to the sources, Arteta had warned Gyokeres: If you can not play 8 games without scoring, this shirt is not yours. It’s tough love, but then again, Arsenal’s number nine isn’t a job—it’s a rite of passage.
The Gaffer’s Gospel: Patience, Pressure, and Poise
Arteta insists Gyokeres is still vital. “He brings space, movement, structure,” he says—manager code for he’s not scoring, but let’s pretend this is part of the plan. The Spaniard is aware that strikers, just as Wi-Fi signals, always come back with more power once a little bit goes off.
In the meantime the referee scandal at Craven Cottage left no one calm. Fulham’s players surrounded Anthony Taylor during a VAR check like bees around a spilt soda, a move called “unacceptable” by one ex-official. Arsenal still won, but the whole sequence looked like VAR meets Squid Game.
Author’s Take: Keep Calm and Trust Viktor Gyokeres
Here’s the truth—Gyokeres is too good to stay quiet forever. The Premier League’s defenders should enjoy this calm before he remembers who he is. Arsenal’s system takes time to master, and right now, the Swede’s learning to play chess on a football field.
Eberechi Eze’s slow start only mirrors that adaptation curve. As Arteta builds a squad of thinkers, not just runners, both Eze and Gyokeres are sharpening their edges. Once they click, expect fireworks—and maybe, finally, a proper knee-slide celebration at the Emirates.
As featured on GoonerNews.com
