Victor Gyökeres has dismissed the summer exit talk and says staying at Arsenal was never really in doubt. Speaking to Standard and football.london, the striker also admitted a more awkward truth, he is frustrated by how little he has played so far this season.

Gyokeres on the summer talk

“Of course, there was a lot of speculation. But I had a full pre-season, and it felt good. I was fully focused on Arsenal,” Gyokeres said, quoted by standard.co.uk.

He added: “For me, staying was a given. I’m extremely happy at the club.”

That line does not leave much room for the version of events that had him being pushed towards Atletico Madrid in a possible swap involving Julián Alvarez. The links circulated, but Gyokeres’ own account is clear enough on where he stood.

Minutes have been the problem

The sharper issue for Arsenal is not whether he wanted out, it is how little he has played since staying put. Gyokeres has failed to start a Premier League game so far this season and has been an unused substitute in three of Arsenal's five league matches.

The numbers behind that are stark. He has only 2 Premier League appearances, 29 minutes, and 0 goals for Arsenal this season. For a striker who scored 21 goals across all competitions in his debut season at Arsenal, including 14 in the Premier League, that is a very slow start to his club campaign.

Gyokeres did have a brighter moment for Sweden, scoring in a 3-1 Nations League win over Poland. He also told football.london: “I haven’t played a lot, but I’ve had a few games. It’s felt okay then, but it’s clear that I want to play football and as much as possible.”

Arsenal's own start has been strong enough to keep selection competition tight. They have taken 12 points from five Premier League matches and sit second in the table, which helps explain why minutes have been hard to come by. The club's last five league results are W L W W W, and that kind of form gives little reason for major changes when the next round of league games arrives.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →