Evening Standard
·7 agosto 2025
Why Viktor Gyokeres at Arsenal has shades of when Erling Haaland joined Man City

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Yahoo sportsEvening Standard
·7 agosto 2025
New £64m signing dislikes comparisons to Haaland but it is hard not to draw parallels between the two strikers after his start for the Gunners
Gyokeres made his first appearance at Emirates Stadium as Arsenal lost 3-2 to Villarreal on Wednesday
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Arsenal fans arrived at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday hoping to see their big new Scandinavian summer signing open his account.
Unfortunately for them, it was Christian Norgaard and not Viktor Gyokeres who got on the scoresheet.
Norgaard’s goal came midway through the first half when he headed home unmarked at the back post from a corner.
It was the type of chance Gyokeres must have wished had fallen to him. Instead, the £64million signing was forced to feed off scraps for much of the 3-2 defeat to Villarreal.
His best opportunity came moments before he was substituted just after the hour mark, when Mikel Merino found him in the box with a threaded through-ball.
Mikel Arteta has said Gyokeres will be ‘in a very good position’ when Arsenal face Athletic on Saturday
Getty Images
The angle was tight, but Gyokeres still got his shot away and forced a save from Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior.
Before that the 27-year-old had only a few half-chances from crosses into the box, and his first start for Arsenal was a quiet affair.
The home fans were willing him to find the net, and there was an audible groan when Ethan Nwaneri took the ball off his foot on the edge of the box midway through the first half.
“I think it was very important for him to start a match and start to have the feeling and the connection with the team,” said Mikel Arteta. “He’s been with us only a week or so, but I really saw a lot of things and a lot of purpose, especially the way he was attacking certain spaces.”
It is far too early to judge Gyokeres, but Wednesday certainly left the impression that it may take time for him to get up to speed.
Part of the reason is physical, with Arteta explaining that Gyokeres has only trained “five or six times” with his new team-mates.
Gyokeres looked short of match fitness in his 62 minutes against Villarreal
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
The fact that he was on strike at Sporting and not in pre-season training before joining Arsenal has not helped matters, although Arteta is hopeful he will be in much better shape when the Gunners kick off their Premier League campaign at Old Trafford next Sunday.
“I have no doubt that he will be in a really good place,” Arteta said. “I think he hasn’t trained really with the team for two months. I think on Saturday again [against Athletic Bilbao in a friendly] he will take another step and he will be in a better condition.”
There will be a mental adjustment for Gyokeres too, and that was evident on Wednesday.
On more than one occasion, he made runs in behind Villarreal’s defence - but the ball was either played too late or not at all.
That is understandable, given that the arrival of Gyokeres marks a big shift in the striker Arsenal are used to playing with.
Last season it was Kai Havertz and, as an emergency for the last three months, Merino leading the line. Both are players that like to operate with their back to goal; bringing others into play.
Gyokeres is, essentially, the opposite. He thrives in open space and on receiving the ball early. Thatis something his team-mates will need to learn.
The Swede needs quick service if he is to cause defences the same problems he did in Portugal.
Gyokeres dislikes comparisons to Erling Haaland, but it is hard not to draw parallels with the Norwegian’s arrival at Manchester City.
Erling Haaland forced Pep Guardiola into a huge stylistic shift at Man City
AFP via Getty Images
That was a huge stylistic shift for Pep Guardiola’s side, who suddenly had a No9 that wanted the ball in the box rather than in the build-up
Arsenal and Gyokeres feels like a similar situation, and it will take time to gel.
But Arteta will not want that process to drag on too long, especially given the tough start to Arsenal’s season.
After Manchester United next weekend, they face Liverpool and Manchester City in their opening six games.
Arsenal will want Gyokeres firing for those fixtures, and Arteta is convinced the Swede will do everything he can to be ready.
“He’s so willing and so confident as well that he can deliver in a positive way,” he said. “Every day in training I think he’s getting a really good feeling.
“I think he’s getting connections as well outside, which I think is really important with players that are going to help him to get in the position that he needs to get in.”