Disastrous debut, Gyokeres receives verdict from coach Arteta

19/08/2025 18:10:00 ceshi

Coach Mikel Arteta reportedly made an important decision concerning forward Viktor Gyokeres following his disappointing first appearance versus Man Utd.

According to Sportbladet (Sweden), coach Mikel Arteta has decided to assign penalty-taking duties to Viktor Gyokeres instead of Bukayo Saka. This arrangement was apparently agreed upon before the Premier League season began. If Gyokeres is not on the field, Saka or captain Martin Odegaard will take the penalties.

Statistics from the Swedish newspaper show this decision is well-founded. Gyokeres has converted 34 penalties and missed only 4, boasting an 89% success rate. The 1998-born star has proven his nerve by scoring a crucial stoppage-time penalty, helping Sporting come from behind to beat Benfica 3-1 after extra time in the Portuguese Cup final.

Ra mắt thảm họa, Gyokeres nhận phát quyết từ HLV Arteta 687875 — Viktor Gyokeres has been given the responsibility of taking penalties for Arsenal, replacing Saka

Comparing with his teammates, Saka has scored 14 out of 17 penalties (82%), while Odegaard has converted 4 out of 5 attempts, but was once denied by Man Utd goalkeeper Altay Bayindir in last season’s FA Cup.

As for Gyokeres, the 27-year-old striker had an underwhelming debut in his first official match in an Arsenal shirt. He started right from the away trip to Man Utd’s home ground, but failed to make a significant impact.

According to SofaScore, Gyokeres covered 7.8 km, made 12 sprints reaching a top speed of 31.4 km/h, but only touched the ball 21 times (3 inside the box), lost possession 11 times, and completed just 4 out of 9 passes. This below-par performance led to Gyokeres being substituted in the 60th minute for Kai Havertz.

Ra mắt thảm họa, Gyokeres nhận phát quyết từ HLV Arteta 687876 — Gyokeres had a debut to forget in his first official game for Arsenal

Alongside Gyokeres, two other new signings, Noni Madueke and Martin Zubimendi, also made their debuts. Coach Arteta admitted that this trio has yet to reach peak fitness, but he remains fully confident in Gyokeres’ ability to adapt, especially considering his impressive goal-scoring record in recent seasons.

After a less-than-ideal debut, Gyokeres will have the chance to prove himself as Arsenal host Leeds, the newly-promoted Premier League side, in the second round.

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