Viktor Gyokeres has been told he is 'lucky' to still be an Arsenal player after the summer transfer window closed, with the club having pursued a move for Julian Alvarez all summer. The Sweden international scored 21 goals in his debut campaign in England following his £64million move from Sporting CP last summer, but questions over whether he is the man to lead the Gunners attack remain.
Arsenal's pursuit of Julian Alvarez
Arsenal were desperate to sign the Argentina international from Atletico Madrid, with Mikel Arteta personally reaching out to the former Manchester City star in efforts to convince him to return to the Premier League. Barcelona were also eager to sign Alvarez, but their public pursuit of the player infuriated Atletico, who refused to do business with their La Liga rivals.
Atletico were willing to negotiate with Arsenal, with the possibility of Gyokeres being included as part of the deal floated at one stage. Ultimately, Alvarez was not interested in joining Arsenal and was still an Atletico player when the transfer window closed this week.
Other forward options considered
Arsenal considered other options to strengthen up front, exploring a move for Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen, while Lautaro Martinez was reportedly discussed on deadline day. Kai Havertz has started both of Arsenal's Premier League games this season ahead of Gyokeres, as was the case in last season's Champions League final and several other high-profile games.
Given Arsenal's interest in some of Europe's elite forward players this summer, former Watford striker Troy Deeney believes the Sweden international can count himself lucky to still be at the Emirates.
Deeney's verdict on Gyokeres
'I think he knows he's lucky to be there, personally,' Deeney said on the Premier League All Access podcast for talkSPORT. 'I think when you look at his career, look at his attributes, he's probably going, "I'm at a team here, I've won the Premier League, this is unbelievable".'
'He will be used in the Champions League, but also there's a business element to this where sometimes, things just get swept under the rug now. He'll have a conversation, I wouldn't be surprised if we start seeing over the next two, three weeks, he gets more minutes and more time now the window's closed.'
'Mikel is not stupid enough to just keep him on the outside, he'll be like, "Alright, you're still here, you're part of the squad, let's move forward."'
