Mikel Arteta under pressure? What signing Viktor Gyokeres could mean for ambitious Arsenal in Premier League challenge

After examining a number of targets including the likes of Benjamin Sesko in the striker market this summer, Arsenal are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres to bolster their frontline.

The former Coventry City man struck 45 times for Leoes across 41 matches during their Primeira Liga and Champions League campaigns last season, and he would bring a cutting edge to what has been - at times - a blunt Gunners attack.

That being said, there are question marks about how exactly the Swedish centre-forward could fit in at the Emirates, because while Mikel Arteta's focus on physicality could suit the frontman, Arsenal have been reliant on set pieces, and have also been criticised for lacking the type of incisive, creative passing that Gyokeres thrives on.

Additionally, the 27-year-old is at an age where he can be considered a ready-made player rather than a prospect like Sesko, and chasing his signature perhaps hints at the fact that the manager is under pressure to deliver silverware this term after five consecutive trophyless seasons and three straight second-placed finishes in the top flight.

With this in mind, Sports Mole considers how Gyokeres could fit in with the Gunners' plans.

A pure finisher

Since the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette left the club, Arsenal have lacked a specialist striker to find the back of the net.

Arteta did sign Kai Havertz in 2023 and has deployed him in a central role at times, but he was originally brought in as a midfield option, as was Mikel Merino, who commendably deputised up front in 2024-25.

Having agonisingly lost out on the title for three years on the bounce, the Gunners feel that Gyokeres could be the missing piece to take them one step further, and given his staggering conversion numbers, they could be right.

The Sporting talisman generated 30.8 xG in his 33 league games, and considering that he scored an impressive 39 times, it would be fair to say that his xG 'overperformance' of 8.2 highlights why he is recognised as one of the best finishers around.

Some may point to the fact that the Primeira Liga is a lower standard of competition than the Premier League, but the Swede continued this trend in the Champions League, racking up six goals from an xG of just 4.5.

Can Arsenal create enough for Gyokeres?

In 2024-25, Arteta's side created the second most xG in the top flight, scoring 69 goals from an expected goals tally of 73.57, underperforming by 4.57, marginally better than the top six mean of 5.65.

Signing Gyokeres could help to bring that number down significantly and put them closer to Manchester City's 1.15, but exceptional finishing alone will not make up the gap to champions Liverpool.

Arne Slot's Reds produced by far the biggest xG total in the division with 93.24 - 19.67 more than second-best Arsenal - while starting winger Luis Diaz at centre-forward for large parts of the campaign.

The Gunners have long turned to set pieces to consistently create chances under their current manager, and without a change in their buildup style, it is hard to see how they could accommodate a final-third specialist up top that contributes less than Havertz or Merino did in general possession.

Much of the criticism of Arsenal's open-play creativity has been levied at their disjointed ball progression, an issue that some have argued stems from a midfield that has yet to find a metronomic player to balance the physicality of Declan Rice with the technical ability of Martin Odegaard.

However, the signing of Martin Zubimendi to replace Thomas Partey could help in this regard, as the former Real Sociedad man is renowned for his short passing in the middle third, an area that the team has been lacking in since Granit Xhaka left for Bayer Leverkusen.

Additionally, a number of dynamic attackers such as Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze have been linked with moves to the Emirates, so Gyokeres's arrival could signal a more broad change in approach ahead of next season.

A ready-made striker - Arteta under pressure?

Another notable piece of context around the potential arrival of Gyokeres is the fact that Arteta is under pressure to deliver on the enormous investment in his project, both in terms of finances and time, with silverware.

It has been more than five years since the Basque boss lifted the FA Cup in 2020 with what were the remnants of Unai Emery's lineup, and fans have grown frustrated with the lack of trophies to show for their progress in the interim.

For reference, the Gunners have won one trophy after a transfer expenditure of almost £750m since the manager's arrival in December 2019, while Liverpool parted with £461.65m prior to the current window and have won two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup in the same period.

With this in mind, it would make sense for Arsenal to prioritise signing a striker that can make an immediate material difference at the top level, and while the club may have previously targeted the likes of 22-year-old Sesko, the need for ready-made recruits has drawn them to the Sporting man.

With his job arguably at risk in 2025-26, Arteta will be hoping that Gyokeres can push his team over the line and be the game-changing talisman that he was for both Leoes and Coventry.