Arsenal: Mikel Arteta's big decision over Viktor Gyokeres for Everton clash | OneFootball

Struggling £64m striker’s place under threat ahead of crunch game for Gunners

The hope heading into the season was that Viktor Gyokeres' arrival would be the final piece of the Arsenal jigsaw, the man to bring the selfish firepower in attack that had been missing.

Viktor Gyokeres struggled again in last weekend’s win against Wolves

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Competing with Kai Havertz, and with Gabriel Jesus to return, the emergency option of Mikel Merino as striker would surely not be needed.

But, this being Arsenal and injury concerns never being far away, Merino has had to do more than his fair share of leading the line. Part of the conundrum facing Arteta is that Merino is so effective at doing so.

In a month of Premier League starts as the striker, Merino contributed two goals and three assists in five matches. That included a lovely assist against Tottenham and a crucial goal away at Chelsea.

Since the start of last season, Merino has averaged a goal or assist every 135 minutes in games he has started up front in the Premier League.

Four goals in 11 matches is the same record as Gyokeres', but Merino also has three assists to the Swede's none. Merino's goal involvement record as a striker is also better than that of Havertz and Jesus.

It all leaves Arteta with plenty to ponder ahead of Saturday's trip to take on Everton, a game Arsenal could kick-off second in the table if Manchester City beat West Ham earlier in the day.

Havertz is still not back in full training and while Jesus has looked bright in two cameos off the bench, a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at home to Crystal Palace next week feels a more obvious fixture to give him his first start after so long out.

The decision on Saturday, then, is whether it is Gyokeres or Merino leading the line against Everton's centre-back partnership of Michael Keane and James Tarkowski.

Mikel Merino has done well as a makeshift centre-forward

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Arsenal have played some of their best football this season with Merino up front.

The Spaniard is able to mix being a physical presence in the box with dropping deep and bringing out the best of the attacking players around him.

He is superb in the air and a reliable finisher when the chances come, so much so that there is a strong argument the striker shirt should be his even with Gyokeres back.

“He was immense again,” Arteta said of Merino after the win over Brentford earlier this month.

“He’s everywhere, and he has got really good momentum. He makes the team much better."

Gyokeres has four Premier League goals this season and a brace against Atletico Madrid, and there were signs he was starting to really build momentum in this side before the hamstring injury.

But it would be hard to argue he makes the team much better, in Arteta's words, in the same way Merino does. Gyokeres is getting few chances and seeing large periods of games pass him by.

Merino is a more natural fit for the way this Arsenal side has become programmed to play in recent seasons. That goes for Jesus, too, and his seamless return to the team recently has added a further unwanted comparison for Gyokeres.

The adaptation to a striker of Gyokeres' profile was always going to take time and Arteta has continued to insist the goals will come.

The Arsenal boss could decide to persist with Gyokeres in the hope of playing him into form and speeding up his adaptation to the team. However, the starting line-up at the Hill Dickinson Stadium will be fascinating on Saturday night.

It would be a big statement for Arteta to start Merino up front with Gyokeres fit and available. A big statement, but not necessarily one that could be argued with.