Arsenal’s need for a striker has been a constant discussion for what feels like a lifetime. With the Gunners looking likely to miss out on a Premier League title for a third successive season, the calls for a new marksman at the Emirates have been deafening of late.
Plenty of candidates ranging from Alexander Isak to Benjamin Sesko have been talked about of late as pressure ramps up on Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy to take action. Well, it seemed like they took a step in the right direction over the weekend.
On Sunday, reports emerged that the Gunners have taken a ‘strong interest’ in Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres, who has been banging the goals in for the Primeira Liga leaders this season.
Arsenal’s new sporting director Andrea Berta, whose appointment was confirmed by the club on Sunday, is believed to hold Gyokeres in high regard and will lead a charge to acquire his signature.
Isak had previously been the talk of the town in north London with Arteta said to be ‘a huge fan’ (who isn’t?), but Newcastle seemingly have no plans in letting Gyokeres’ fellow Swede leave Tyneside.
While Isak has been ripping up the Premier League this season, and beyond, for the Magpies, statistics provided by Sofascore show that Gyokeres has outshone his compatriot in several departments this campaign.
On Sunday it was reported that Arsenal have a strong interest in striker Viktor Gyokeres
Alexander Isak was previously deemed to be of interest to Arsenal as they hunt for a new marksman
Benjamin Sesko has also supposedly been courted, but stats show that Gyokeres is having a better season than both he and Isak
The Sporting striker has netted a mammoth 42 goals in as many games this term in all competitions, while Isak has found the back of the net on 19 fewer occasions.
The Newcastle man has played nine games fewer due to not being involved in European competition, but even then he is scoring at a slower rate.
Gyokeres is finding the net every 80 minutes, while Isak scored every 113 minutes. Now, it’s not like the Geordie forward has a bad record, is it? He is one of the hottest properties in football. But it just goes to show how frequently his fellow countryman is scoring.
The former Coventry striker also has a higher goal conversion rate than Isak – 29 per cent to 27 per cent – and narrowly he has a superior big chance conversion, too, with Gyokeres’ 57 per cent beating out Isak’s 56 per cent.
Gyokeres’ closest competitor in terms of statistics also hails from a league outside of Europe’s top five. Victor Osimhen’s impressive season on loan at Galatasaray has seen him scoring goals for fun, but just not quite as regularly as Arsenal’s supposed new interest.
Osimhen’s 26 goals are impressive but don’t come close to Gyokeres’ record while he has scored every 94 minutes which is more frequently than Isak, but not the big Swede.
Arsenal have also been courting Sesko, who has 17 goals in 37 games this season, and while he is five years younger than the 26-year-old Gyokeres, statistics show he is much more inconsistent, only scoring every 158 minutes.
The Gunners also made a shock bid for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins in January, and the 29-year-old is one of the strikers to have one statistic over Gyokeres. A rarity.
Gyokeres has netted 19 more goals than his fellow Swede Isak this season and has scored at a more frequent rate
When it comes to strikers of interest to Arsenal, Victor Osimhen comes closest in terms of goals to Gyokeres
Arsenal bid to sign Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins in January, but he has has only netted 14 times in all competitions compared to Gyokeres’ 42 strikes
Both Kai Havertz (left) and Gabriel Jesus (right) only netted a combined 22 goals before injury
Watkins has 12 assists in all competitions this campaign, one more than the Sporting man. However, he has scored a mammoth 28 goals fewer, and with the Gunners looking for a goalscorer it may just make them side with Gyokeres – just a hunch.
Now, while the ex-Brighton man has proved he is statistically much better than several of Europe’s top strikers this season, how does he fare when set against Aresenal’s current attackers?
The answer is: pretty well. Gyokeres has 33 more goal involvements than Kai Havertz, in only eight more games. The German only managed 15 goals across all competitions before his hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus is even further away from Gyokeres’ having only netted seven times in 27 games.
Arsenal’s need for a striker has been all too apparent this season, and the statistics show exactly what we already know.
While Gyokeres hasn’t played in the Premier League, his 85 goals in 92 games since joining Sporting in 2023 speaks for itself.
