Arsenal in for ‘complete striker’ to replace outgoing Viktor Gyokeres: report

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That’s according to a new report, which casts Viktor Gyokeres’ position at the club in further doubt, with the Swedish hitman failing to start a single Premier League fixture this season.

Despite being the Gunners’ top scorer in all competitions last season as Arsenal won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final, Gyokeres has struggled at times in North London – and now, it appears that he could have even more competition up front.

Gyokeres has already noted this season that he wants to “play football as much as possible”, but with Havertz returning from an injury that sidelined him for much of last season, the Swede has found himself playing second fiddle.

Disappointing cameo appearances in the Champions League and Carabao Cup have led to rumours that the 28-year-old will be sacrificed in the coming months, as Arteta looks to bring in a more rounded centre-forward able to hold the ball up.

Sport Witness, meanwhile, have relayed a report from Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport today that link Arsenal with Monza frontman, Gustavo Varela.

Varela arrived in Serie A from Benfica over the summer and has already struck six goals from six in the division, with Napoli said to be leading the race for his signature at this early stage.

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Arsenal, meanwhile, have an eye on the situation, with transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio adding that “major offers could be on the way for the striker”.

Benfica have the right to match any bid for the 21-year-old, but could well choose not to make an offer if Arsenal propose a deal out of their range.

The Gunners may well have to look for left-field targets in their bid to improve a squad that reached the latter stages of three competitions last season, as they struggled to land their big targets over the summer.

Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez both opted to remain in Madrid, with the Gunners only strengthening in attack by signing Christos Tzolis – with that sole deal perhaps indicating the direction that the club must go in to outsmart rivals.

Varela is worth €5m, as per Transfermarkt. Arsenal face Bayern Munich tonight as Champions League action resumes.

Mark White Content Editor Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn’t receive a winners’ medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson’s season at Barcelona to Robinho’s career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.

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