Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal are finally on “the right trajectory” to unlocking Viktor Gyokeres’ full potential.
The Sweden international got off to a slow start after joining the Premier League leaders from Sporting Lisbon last summer, but he has now scored eight goals in all competitions since the start of 2026 and, with 10 in the league this season, has already scored more than any Arsenal player did last term.
Arteta put the 27-year-old’s form down to positive momentum but suggested there is more to come from Gyokeres, who scored twice in Sunday’s north London derby.
“I think one thing leads to another,” said Arteta. “When you score the first one or the performances are good, you have more time with your team-mates, you understand the games, the opponent, the league better. Everything helps.
“We know his qualities. He is undoubtedly an incredible striker. We need to feed to his quality, we need to understand him better, he needs to understand the team, the league better, I think we are in the right trajectory.”
Asked if Gyokeres had struggled with confidence, Arteta replied: “That’s a question for him. Obviously I know the demands he puts on himself, the expectation that he has to help the team and I am confident because a lot of the times, our defenders, when they have to train against our players, (you ask), ‘How do you feel when (you face him)?’ and (they say), ‘It’s a nightmare’.
“That’s a really good way to understand the quality of a player or how it is to defend him.”
Arsenal will look to extend their advantage at the top of the league when they host Chelsea on Sunday, buoyed by the comprehensive victory over struggling Spurs to leave them five points clear of Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Chelsea are winless in their last eight Premier League games against Arsenal, drawing three and losing five, but Arteta said that statistic “doesn’t change the preparation”.
He added: “What we’ve done two weeks ago or two years ago is irrelevant, because every game and context is different. The players might change, the mood of the teams can be in a different state or what is at stake is different, and we are prepared.”
Arteta is keenly aware of what remains on the line: a Premier League title, tantalisingly close, after three consecutive seasons of finishing runners-up.
“When you finish like this you only want to be first. That’s it,” he added. “That’s the aim. Always get better, always try to excel the possibilities of the team.”
