Sweden star reveals Gyokeres' three-hour trips amid Arsenal struggles

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Viktor Gyokeres has played just 29 minutes of Premier League football this season — and now one of his closest friends in the Sweden squad has spoken out in his defence.

The striker finished as Arsenal's top scorer last term, but the start of this campaign has looked very different. Gyokeres has been an unused substitute on three occasions and has started only against Napoli and Ipswich, without making a decisive impact in either fixture.

That drop-off has brought a wave of scrutiny, and Sweden goalkeeper Viktor Johansson believes it has gone too far.

"We are ordinary people"

Speaking ahead of Sweden's Nations League meeting with Romania, Johansson detailed how the pair have stayed close during the difficult spell, with the Arsenal forward making the roughly three-hour journey up to Stoke to spend time with his childhood friend.

"I call and check on the situation. Sometimes he has come up to us in Stoke. Then we have hung out and cooked food," Johansson said, as reported by football.london.

"Sometimes it's important not to talk too much about it (the situation) either. We all know what a fantastic footballer he is and everything will work out.

"We are ordinary people and it's not all about football. We can talk about a lot of other things too. We help each other. One does the shopping and the other does the cooking."

The two grew up together in Stockholm before both eventually moving to England, and their families holidayed together in the summer following the World Cup.

Asked directly about the criticism aimed at the centre-forward, Johansson added: "Yes, so, it's clear that it's never fun to read it. Then again, I'm not the best at reading what's written either.

"But I know that he's a fantastic footballer and a fantastic person. And that's what I'm taking with me."

Potter's take on a "change of context"

Sweden head coach Graham Potter has also addressed the situation, suggesting the international window could offer Gyokeres some relief from the noise around his club form.

"It's part of the life of a footballer. Things can come at you fairly quickly and often you just have to deal with it," Potter said.

"We know how good Viktor is, we know how important he is. We love him with the team and I think he has the same feeling.

"Sometimes a change of context, a change of environment can help a player. We're all looking forward to having Viktor with us and helping him enjoy his football."

Potter's wording will inevitably be picked over given the striker's current standing at the Emirates, though the Sweden boss was framing it around the national team camp rather than anything beyond it.

The numbers remain stark for a player who led Arsenal's scoring charts only months ago: 29 top-flight minutes, three matchday squads without leaving the bench, and two starts that have not shifted the picture.

International duty now gives Gyokeres a chance to rebuild rhythm away from north London, with his club situation set to be re-examined once the Premier League schedule resumes.