Evening Standard
·23 August 2025
Arsenal: Mikel Arteta reveals hard work behind the scenes to get Viktor Gyokeres firing

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·23 August 2025
The Gunners have spent this week ‘understanding’ the new £67m striker
Impact: Viktor Gyokeres
Action Images via Reuters
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Mikel Arteta says Arsenal have spent this past week learning how to get the best out of Viktor Gyokeres - and has backed the striker to start finding the net “very, very often”.
Gyokeres made his Arsenal debut last week, but he was taken off after an hour as the Gunners beat Manchester United by a solitary goal at Old Trafford.
The Swede is still getting up to speed with his new team-mates after arriving from Sporting earlier this summer as part of a deal worth over £60million.
Gyokeres’ style is different to Arsenal’s previous strikers and Arteta admits it will take for his side to adapt.
But the Spaniard is convinced the goals will start to flow, with Arsenal next in action on Saturday when they host newly-promoted Leeds United.
The team and myself have a big responsibility to help him be more efficient
Mikel Arteta
“I’m very happy with him,” said Arteta. “I think we need to make an effort as well to try to understand him, to connect.
“We’ve done a lot of work this week in relation to that as well. He’s a very smart, intuitive player. I’m sure he’s going to be fine.
“We’ve had to manage a lot of training sessions within that. But I think we are going to be extremely happy when he starts to put the ball in the back of the net very, very often - which is his biggest ability.
“So the team and myself, we have a big responsibility to help him and to understand him to be more efficient and the first game was a really demanding game and we will take it from there.”
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