A dream for Gyokeres: Arsenal submit bid to sign “special” winger
Arsenal are sitting pretty atop the Premier League ladder, but Mikel Arteta and his men have been here before, and he’ll know that the January transfer window could prove advantageous for the club in their pursuit of the title.
Especially when Manchester City are honing in on Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, who has scored nine goals and supplied three assists in the league this term.
Semenyo, an Arsenal fan, has been on Andrea Berta’s radar, but the Gunners have now advanced their interest to match City’s own. Could that be because another star is in the sights?
Arsenal need to sign a forward
This is an elite outfit, but Arsenal’s interminable goalscoring problems have continued into the current campaign, albeit to a lesser degree.
Arteta needs to add firepower, and he must concede that Viktor Gyokeres has not been up to scratch since completing a £64m move to the Emirates from Sporting Lisbon, where he scored 97 goals from 102 matches.
But perhaps signing another big-money centre-forward wouldn’t be the most prudent route.
According to Spanish sources this month, Arsenal have subscribed to that notion, having made an opening offer for Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, who is discontented at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 24-year-old is overshadowed in Xabi Alonso’s frontline, but he is a world-class forward and would find the perfect home to further develop at Arsenal.
Los Blancos would consider his sale, but not for anything less than £75m. Arsenal’s offer totalled €60m (£51m).
How Rodrygo would enhance Arsenal's attack
Rodrygo did not have the best 2025, but he’s still an elite and multi-faceted forward who has scored 70 goals and supplied 55 assists for Real Madrid, probably the biggest football club in the world.
Only last year did teammate Jude Bellingham hail him as “probably the most gifted and most talented player in the squad”, with an underlying physicality to complement his more flashy side.
Indeed, across the past 12 months, the Brazil international has been “one of the best wingers in the world” in the words of analyst by Spencer Mossman, ranking among the top 1% of positional peers for pass completion, the top 4% for progressive carries and the top 10% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.
That’s an elite forward, one who could elevate Arteta’s burgeoning project. His pedigree on the grandest stages and ability to raise his teammates’ games might even see him draw Gyokeres out of his cave.
Gyokeres, 27, has scored five Premier League goals from 18 matches this season, 15 starts. But he’s not been good enough, at odds with the slickness of Arteta’s otherwise fluent frontline.
You don’t need your centre-forward to be a ballerina, but Gyokeres is struggling to latch onto Arsenal’s attacking efforts, and is enjoying only a minimal contribution each game.
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When looking at his metrics compared to last season, his deterioration only becomes clearer.
Viktor Gyokeres – Liga Portugal vs Premier League
Stats (* per game)
24/25
25/26
Matches (starts)
33 (31)
18 (15)
Goals
39
5
Assists
7
0
Touches
40.0
19.1
Shots (on target)*
4.2 (2.4)
1.7 (0.6)
Big chances missed
23
7
Accurate passes*
15.0 (73%)
5.1 (61%)
Chances created*
1.9
0.6
Succ. dribbles*
1.8 (48%)
0.3 (21%)
Tackles*
0.3
0.2
Duels won*
5.5 (50%)
2.4 (34%)
Data via Sofascore
As you can see, since returning to English shores in July, the hulking forward has struggled.
It’s not all his fault, though. Gabriel Martinelli, for example, hasn’t been at his best this season and has gone ten Premier League matches without a goal involvement. Arsenal content creator James commented after the recent win at Bournemouth that the Brazilian winger was too one-dimensional”.
Rodrygo, his compatriot, would certainly prove an upgrade, and with such flair, versatility and innate creative qualities – he’s been described as a “special striker” who “can play in all positions” by former boss Carlo Ancelotti – it might be the perfect signing to keep Man City at bay and finally secure silverware and the Premier League title after two decades of searching.
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