Arsenal's history should have been very different without Harry Woods. Without him, maybe there would be no Herbert Chapman, no three national championships in the 1930s, and Arsenal did not become the largest club in London …
Arsenal almost fell in the 1923/24 season. They only won 12 matches in the league. Harry Woods scored in 6 of them and was the “top scorer” of the team, despite only 9 goals. A century later, Kai Havertz repeated this achievement: For the first time in 101 years, no Arsenal player scored 10 goals in the Premier League.
Sporting has no similar problems. Viktor Gyokeres, who is looking for ways to be transferred to the Emirates, scored 39 goals in the Portuguese league last season, on average 1 goal every 72 minutes – more than the total number of goals from the top goalscorers Arsenal combined: Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, LeanDro Trossard, Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka.
Of course, the difference between the two clubs and the two tournaments makes the comparison completely accurate. Odegaard and Saka's injury affecting Arsenal's creativity. If Havertz did not take 3 months off due to injury, he could have reached 14 goals in the domestic league and more than 20 in all competitions.
However, the numbers have pointed out the indisputable truth: Arsenal need to do what the fans have long longed for, which is to sign a contract with a real striker. Coach Mikel Arteta has put the power to build a left -back, changed the goalkeeper almost each season and constantly reinforced the middle line. The tactic of “sharing goals” has helped Arsenal score 88 goals in 2022/23 and 91 goals in 2023/24. But last season, this number was only 69.
And now is the appearance of Gyokeres. The expectation of placing him will be both simple and pressured: helping Arsenal score as much as Liverpool or Man City, and most importantly, bringing the Gunners to the Premier League throne.
Comparing Gyokeres with Erling Haaland is unavoidable, especially when Arsenal met Man City in September. Both are classical strikers in the team who preferred “virtual number 9”. But the difference is that the last time Gyokeres played in England was when he scored 22 goals for Coventry in the First Division.
Gyokeres is more progressive, but the question is still the “nearly 1 goal/match” performance in Portugal (68 goals after 66 matches) can successfully move to the Premier League? The fact that he scored 6 goals in the Champions League last season was a positive signal. And can Arteta adjust the gameplay to take advantage of the strengths of a true “goal hunter”?
Gyokeres often scored with the running phase behind the opponent's defense, which is not popular with Arsenal – where Havertz, Trossard and Jesus prefer to coordinate and backward.
If there is anything to blame Arteta, it is Arsenal sometimes playing too slowly and too methodical. Gyokeres may need Arsenal to push the ball up faster, especially in counterattack. And if the reason Arteta likes the deep striker to support midfield, then with the appearance of Martin Zubimendi, that system may need to change.
Gyokeres is currently 27 years old, 5 years older than Benjamin Sesko – who used to be Arsenal's top target. At £ 63.5 million, Gyokeres no longer has the potential to resell as high as the striker of RB Leipzig. The fact that Arsenal chose he could show that they believed that Sesko was not improved enough. And Gyokeres' non -training action also shows that he really wants to come to Arsenal.
If Havertz did well in the striker position, then Arteta turned him into a midfielder or alternately used with Gyokeres would be worth the monitor. In some matches, Arteta may still choose Havertz. But obviously, there are Arsenal matches that need a “professional goal hunter”, who can score ugly goals but important.
In the 2023/24 season, despite good operation, Arsenal did not score in 5 Premier League matches. A total of 18 Gunners scored 1 goal or no goal, while Liverpool only had 7 such matches. Those are the times when they need someone like Gyokeres.
From the 2019/20 season, no Arsenal player has scored 20 goals in the Premier League. That season, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could do, and it started under the Unai Emery. In fact, during the entire time under the Arteta period, only Saka (2023/24) was a 20 goals in all competitions.
If you avoid injury, Gyokeres can completely overcome that number. Although it could affect the number of other players, but in the last 35 seasons (from 1990/91), only 6 seasons Arsenal had no players scored 18 goals or more, and four of them were under the Arteta period.
His method has worked, but to the limit. Now, Gyokeres is a symbol of the change in Arsenal's approach.
