Arteta's blunt early warning to Gyokeres resurfaces amid transfer plan
Mikel Arteta once told Viktor Gyokeres exactly what would be required of him if he wanted to succeed at Arsenal, and those words are taking on fresh significance as the striker endures a difficult start to the season.
Gyokeres has scored just once in all competitions this term, with that solitary strike coming in the Carabao Cup exit at Fleetwood. According to Mirror Football, Arsenal have made signing a top quality forward their primary objective for the January transfer window, with Arteta placing attacking reinforcements at the top of his agenda.
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As a potential option, the Gunners are believed to have identified Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi, though the Cherries would be reluctant to sell in January, with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich also credited with interest in the 20 year old Frenchman. Arsenal are also said to retain long standing interest in Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz, while uncertainty over Vinicius Junior's future at Real Madrid has resurfaced following the club's summer pursuit of the Brazilian, though a winger is understood to be a secondary priority behind a versatile forward.
Arteta's warning before Gyokeres even arrived
The scrutiny on Gyokeres has brought his first conversation with Arteta back into focus. Speaking about their early meeting following the striker's stuttering start last season, Arteta said: “I told him before the first meeting, I said, 'The nine that I want is a nine that when he doesn't score for six or eight games, he can handle that. If not, you have to go somewhere else because the expectation is going to be there.' So, if you put on a nine shirt for Arsenal, you have to be able to say, 'OK, six games, if I don't score, I'm a different player? I start to act in a different way?' No, I want much more of the same of what he's doing. You see the history of the number nines. You're going to have moments like this. He brings so much to the team. He creates space and solutions to a lot of the players around him. And with the talent that we have in the team, I'm sure that everybody, him included, will benefit from that.”
Limited role at Anfield
Gyokeres remained on the bench for most of Sunday's win at Liverpool, only coming on as a late substitute for match winner Kai Havertz. With fixtures coming thick and fast, he will be hoping for a more prominent role when Arsenal travel to face Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Max Dowman is available for selection against Slavia Prague, with his three match ban for the red card at Fleetwood restricted to domestic competitions only. Arsenal's attempt to have the 16 year old's sending off overturned was unsuccessful.
With January edging closer and reported interest in multiple forwards, Gyokeres' performances between now and the turn of the year are likely to carry significant weight in shaping Arsenal's plans.
