Arsenal pivot toward Viktor Gyökeres as Šeško talks cool - the No.9 built for Arteta now

Arsenal’s striker search has sharpened. Initial enthusiasm for Benjamin Šeško cooled as demands grew, and focus shifted to Viktor Gyökeres - a forward widely viewed as plug-and-play in the Premier League right away. The logic is simple: Šeško’s ceiling is huge but he needs time, while Gyökeres is a mature, penalty-box force with pressing power, hold-up strength and ruthless runs across the line. Inside the club, different voices favored different profiles, but the coaching sign-off is clear - Gyökeres answers the short-term brief. Expect a strong push to land him, with structure and timing now the key battlegrounds.

Context: Arsenal have long scoped the No.9 market, balancing short-term impact with long-term upside. Šeško flourished at RB Leipzig and extended his deal in 2024, making any move complex and expensive. Gyökeres exploded at Sporting CP in 2023-24 with elite output and pressing data, drawing strong interest from England. As talks with one camp became less tractable, the club pivoted to the profile that matches immediate needs. UK and Portuguese reporting has consistently framed this as a strategic adjustment rather than a panic move, with internal alignment forming around the player who is more Premier League-ready today.

A sporting director wants Šeško. A coach wants Gyökeres. Spin it whatever way you want, Gyökeres is what Arsenal needed in the short-term, even if Šeško has a higher ceiling. Šeško needs time. Gyökeres needs less time. Trust me when I say he is going to keep on scoring goals.

@EBL2017

Impact Analysis

From a squad-building lens, Gyökeres directly addresses Arsenal’s shortfall in penalty-box presence and repeat runs behind the line. He thrives off second phases, darts from the blind side of center backs, and first-time finishes across the keeper. That meshes with Mikel Arteta’s patterns: wingers attacking half-spaces, inverted full-backs compressing the middle, and a No.9 who pins both center backs to create lanes for late runners like Ødegaard and Rice. His pressing is not just high volume - it is channel-smart, steering play into traps where Arsenal’s interiors can swarm. That alone can add 5-7 high turnovers per game when the team is humming.

Šeško, by contrast, offers elite tools - height, mobility, and a smooth strike profile - but still rides waves within games. He is a projectable A-tier forward in two years. Arsenal’s window is now. Gyökeres reduces adaptation risk and raises the team’s floor immediately.

There are market effects too. A successful move would likely redefine Kai Havertz’s usage, freeing him to float as an attacking eight or late-arrival 9.5 rather than the reference point. It also shifts set-piece dynamics, adding another aerial target to complement Gabriel and Saliba. The main risk is translation of Liga Portugal tempo to the Premier League’s duels-per-90, but Gyökeres’ Coventry body of work suggests his game scales under contact. Structuring the fee - potentially clause-led with installments and performance add-ons - will be decisive.

Reaction

Fan sentiment splits along two lines. The optimists argue what many coaches repeat privately: put chances in front of Gyökeres and he keeps scoring. They see a relentless runner who drags back lines down the pitch and a finisher who attacks the six-yard box without hesitation. In their eyes, this is exactly what Arsenal have lacked against low blocks when sterile control sets in.

The skeptics point to individual duels and recent form snapshots. One criticism floating around is that he can be bullied by elite full-backs and center backs in big-match moments, with worries about whether he creates for himself or only feasts on service. Others zoom out and say Arsenal’s main problem is chance creation, not conversion - that any competent No.9, from Chris Wood to Jamie Vardy, would score with better supply. A stat cited in arguments is a modest goals-per-game stretch, used to claim he runs hot and cold.

Between those poles sit the pragmatists: even if Gyökeres was not the original Plan A, the coach still signs off and owns the outcome. They also note how a new striker has boosted the perception of Havertz centrally, hinting that role clarity across the front line is already improving. The common ground is simple - Arsenal need a No.9 who stresses center backs every phase. If Gyökeres brings that, the tide turns quickly.

Social reactions

Something tells me Arsenal biggest problem is chance creation

KingBakolokolo (@Tactipscian)

Gyokeres is ass mate. He loses every important duel.

Uznah 14 (@Uznah9820)

Arteta’s first choice was Šeško, while the Sporting Director wanted Gyökeres, backed by demands from Šeško’s entourage. That single decision has landed us where we are today. His performances have made us regard Havertz as an elite striker

Transfer News (@echarles81)

Prediction

Expectation: Arsenal push hard to structure a deal that respects Sporting’s position while protecting cash flow. The cleanest path is via the reported release clause, but the likely reality is a staged package with reachable add-ons tied to appearances, league finish, and European progression. Sporting want certainty, Arsenal want flexibility - a compromise is very possible when the player’s camp is aligned on the step up.

On pitch, early usage looks straightforward. Gyökeres starts as the reference 9 in a 4-3-3, with Havertz toggling between left eight and a support runner who arrives late. Martinelli and Saka benefit from more front-post and penalty-spot runs that clear lanes for cut-backs. Expect 15-20 non-penalty goals in his first full Premier League season if fitness holds and set pieces deliver a handful of tap-ins. He will also juice Arsenal’s press - more steals high, more corners, more chaos goals.

Šeško remains a long-term watch. If pricing resets or if he pushes in a later window, Arsenal can revisit. But the immediate scenario is clear: the club close on the forward who collapses back lines now, then reassess the market once the title picture and Champions League revenue settle.

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Conclusion

This is a strategic correction, not a surrender. Arsenal admired Šeško for his upside and were right to try. But title races reward certainty. Gyökeres brings that - repetition of runs, a mean streak in the box, and defensive work that reflects the team’s identity. He fits Arteta’s spacing and tempo, shortens the learning curve, and anchors a front line that has too often needed perfection to score.

There will be bumps. He must win duels against the league’s most aggressive center backs and sync with Ødegaard’s timing. Yet the broader calculus is compelling: a mature finisher who raises the team’s floor from matchday one. If the fee structure lands within the club’s risk appetite, this is the move you make. Close it, integrate him fast, and let the patterns do the talking. The project’s arc remains upward - and a true No.9 accelerates it.