Is Gyokeres struggling to adapt or being misused?

Viktor Gyokeres, who scored 54 goals in 52 games overall last season, made his debut at Arsenal from Sporting in the summer as the country’s most prolific goalscorer.

There was some doubt about whether Mikel Arteta would be able to produce a similar level of output in the Premier League because of the striking style differences between Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal and Portuguese champion Sporting.

The 27-year-old has scored five league goals, including two penalties, since the start of the season.

Gyokeres was the lone striker in a system that didn’t always pit teams inside their own box at Sporting.

They were crowned champions because they naturally typically controlled games, but they frequently made long passes to Gyokeres once they lost possession rather than using a more methodical build-up.

That reflected Gyokeres’ qualities. Although he has a traditional centre-forward physical profile, his ability to control difficult passes and link play are not significant.

Gyokeres, who Sporting introduced him in three ways, did not succeed:

Gyokeres enjoys hanging from more angled positions on the defense’s last line. At Sporting, he frequently used his right foot to score goals.

He can still produce power from even wide angles, and his prolific sporting output was largely attributable to his ball-striking ability with his right foot.

He frequently preferred to stand up like a winger and run in behind and successfully shoot across goal with his slightly weaker foot.

Gyokeres changed when Sporting’s attack was slowed down and the box became more crowded.

To give himself more time and space to shoot away from the defense, he would hold his run and look to receive the ball in front of the defense, frequently on the edge of the box.

In addition, it is important to note that 20 of his 54 goals in 2024 and 2025 were scored from the penalty spot, and he also managed to get some tap-ins from subdued shots.

Arsenal develop more deliberately than they do Sporting, using rotations to control their defensive configuration.

Instead of making long passes right away, they prefer passing sequences on the ground.

Premier League opponents typically defend against Arsenal with compact, low blocks, which results in a crowded penalty box with little room left behind the defense, which is largely forced on them.

He is typically trying to get on the end of crosses at Arsenal, but former England international Gary Lineker thinks he could be more proactive.

On the podcast “The Rest Is Football,” Lineker stated, “He likes most strikers, he waits for the ball to go in and then attacks the space.”

Gyokeres must succeed in a team with a different style and in a new league where the standard is typically higher than where he excelled last season.

However, he cannot be held accountable for his subpar output entirely. This season, Arsenal have played 68 through-balls, which is the most of any Premier League team.

It suggests a deliberate strategy to utilize their new striker to the fullest.

However, Gyokeres is frequently forced to recycle the ball rather than have an attempt on goal, as he frequently did at Sporting from those positions because well-organized, athletic Premier League defenses can recover quickly.

A complementary team-mate like Kai Havertz might be a good idea for Gyokeres to help him prosper.

As we have seen, Gyokeres excels at attacking space in behind, but Havertz excels at occupying center-backs and linking play, before striking the ball with force.

Space could be opened up at the box’s edge, where Gyokeres’ shooting is risky, by having a more natural “back-to-goal” striker to occupy the centre-backs.

Gyokeres has still contributed to Arsenal’s top league position, despite not scoring at his sporting rate.

His selfless off-the-ball running has pushed opponents into dangerous areas and given them room for his team-mates to score, while his pressing has also forced opponents to make mistakes in which Arsenal have capitalized.

However, Gyokeres and Arsenal want more goals.

Former Coventry City assistant manager Adi Viveash said to Sky Sports: “Viktor would get frustrated if he went three or four games without scoring.”