Gyokeres Must Face the Axe: Arsenal's £64m Gamble Has Turned into a Nightmare

Mikel Arteta's faith in Viktor Gyokeres remains unwavering—at least in team selection. The Arsenal boss backed the Swedish striker to start against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, pointing to his performance against Chelsea as evidence of building momentum. For those wondering precisely how much momentum a player accumulates by tapping in from two yards out, the answer arrived brutally before half-time at the City Ground.

Presented with a five-yard advantage on Murillo in a footrace from the halfway line, this looked tailor-made for the Gyokeres special. At Sporting, these moments were his bread and butter—charging through the middle, finishing before defenders could react. Inevitable, one might have thought.

Not this time. Murillo closed the gap, got ahead, and blocked the shot. The inevitable became the catastrophic.

Even his Chelsea goal hasn't lifted the mood. In his post-match interview, Gyokeres appeared thoroughly miserable, mustering only "That's what I need to do and I can do it more often" when asked about scoring just twice since November 1st. His Bane celebration looked forced and joyless. The mask stays off.

Arsenal's attacking woes extend beyond one player. The goalless stalemate with Forest followed a similar result against Liverpool, with neither Bukayo Saka nor Mikel Merino scoring since early December. Of thirteen Premier League goals across eight matches since the 2-0 win over Brentford, three were own goals. Only Leandro Trossard (twice), Gabriel Jesus, and Gyokeres' penalty have come from the forwards' boots.

Yet singling out Gyokeres feels unavoidable. The club spent the summer chasing him through a protracted saga, positioning him as the missing piece. Instead, they've landed a puzzle that doesn't fit.

The statistics paint a damning picture. In 57 minutes, he managed one shot—the blocked effort. Ten touches total, just two in the box. Six passes attempted, two misdirected. No tackles, no blocks, lost both ground duels, lost all five aerial battles, won zero fouls, and committed one foul. This isn't merely poor form; it's professional negligence.

His supporters blame service—teammates cutting back instead of crossing, failing to play balls behind for him to chase. Fair points, perhaps. But elite strikers adapt. Erling Haaland arrived at Manchester City after terrorising Bundesliga defences, yet he found ways to finish. Gyokeres finishes his performances on the bench, sulking.

The reality is stark: he's barely getting chances to squander. He's contributing nothing. The time for patience has expired. Drop him, then move him on. What started as an ambitious statement of intent has become an expensive monument to miscalculation.