Gyokeres breaks his silence on Arsenal exit speculation

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Viktor Gyokeres has addressed the speculation surrounding his Arsenal future, insisting he is "extremely happy" at the club despite starting the season behind Kai Havertz in Mikel Arteta's pecking order.

The Swedish striker arrived from Sporting in the summer of 2025 as the first-choice centre-forward and finished his debut campaign with 21 goals in all competitions. He was, however, named on the bench for the Champions League final in May, and his last goal for the Gunners came in the FA Cup defeat to Southampton in April.

This season, the 28-year-old has made just two Premier League appearances, both from the substitutes' bench, with Havertz firmly installed in the starting XI.

"Staying was a given"

Speaking on international duty with Sweden, Gyokeres pushed back on talk of a departure. "Of course, there was a lot of speculation," he said, as reported by Metro. "But I had a full pre-season, and it felt good. I was fully focused on Arsenal. For me, staying was a given. I'm extremely happy at the club."

There was talk of an exit over the summer, and speculation persists that the striker could move on in 2027. Gyokeres was clear that he wants more minutes, but framed his situation around the depth in Arteta's squad.

"It's clear that I want to play football as much as possible. Hopefully that will come, too. You always want to be on the field as a football player," he said. "Of course, you expect more playing time, but we have an extremely good squad with a lot of good players and have been doing well here at the start."

Scoring freely for Sweden

The contrast between club and country has been stark during this window. Gyokeres scored in Sweden's win over Romania before finding the net again against Poland on Monday, taking his international tally to 23 goals.

The former Coventry City forward also revealed that his conversations with Arteta have been constructive, while accepting the onus is on him to raise his level.

"I obviously need to do better and I'm willing to do it, so it's no problem," he said. "It's good (the dialogue with the coach). I just try to do well when I get the chance and score goals."

Havertz's form has given Arteta little reason to change the shape of his attack, and the German's hold on the No.9 role means Gyokeres has been restricted to cameo roles in the league. For a striker who arrived as a headline signing, the reduced involvement has inevitably fuelled questions about how long the arrangement can hold.

Sweden are back in action on Friday against Bosnia & Herzegovina before facing Romania again on Monday, giving Gyokeres two further opportunities to add to his international return before reporting back to London Colney.

Arsenal resume their Premier League campaign at the Emirates against Leeds on October 10, with Gyokeres hoping his international form earns him a longer look in Arteta's attack.