Arteta Defends Gyokeres as Noise Intensifies; Explains Eze Decision

Mikel Arteta has stepped up to defend Viktor Gyokeres amid mounting criticism of the striker's Arsenal career, warning the 27-year-old to expect scrutiny for years to come.

Gyokeres arrived at the Emirates last summer from Sporting Lisbon for approximately £64m, selected ahead of Benjamin Sesko to address the club's attacking woes. Yet the Portuguese forward has managed just seven goals across 20 appearances, with his Premier League tally standing at five in 15 matches, prompting suggestions that Gabriel Jesus or Kai Havertz could soon displace him from the side.

Speaking ahead of Friday's clash with AFC Bournemouth, Arteta acknowledged the relentless spotlight surrounding his record signing.

"He is going to continue to have a lot of noise around him for the next five years," Arteta told Sky Sports. "Since day one, you sign as a No 9 for Arsenal with the background he has and the expectation at Arsenal, that is not going away. That is the life of being an Arsenal No 9. There is an expectation when you pull the shirt on. He knew that and it was part of the plan."

The Arsenal manager stressed his confidence in Gyokeres' work ethic and mindset, insisting the breakthrough will arrive.

"I see him training every day and in the meeting, how much he wants to do well. The way he is working every single match, it will click. One thing is missing at the moment, scoring more goals, but he is doing other things right."

Arteta also framed the competitive nature of Arsenal's attack as beneficial to Gyokeres' development, highlighting the camaraderie among his forward line.

"That was the plan, that we have that level of competition in the team. Different qualities and different players. I saw after the game when Jesus scored, Kai and Viktor were together. That was magic. I see how much they care about each other and how happy they are for each other, it is a joy as a manager."

On the subject of fellow summer arrival Eberechi Eze, Arteta moved to explain why the winger has found himself sidelined in recent weeks.

"I speak to every player and the players always need to understand, and the manager needs to understand how each one is feeling, assess games, assess their emotional state," Arteta said. "Eze has played more games and more minutes than ever at this time. So he's played 22, I think, out of 28 games or something like that, so he never played that much football, so we're on a good track."