Ahead of this summer’s transfer window, it was clear that Arsenal needed to bring in a striker.
Tension has been building amongst the Gunners fanbase as the club have been weighing up their options for a new number nine.
Rival Premier League clubs have been very busy in the opening stages of the transfer window, leaving Arsenal fans scratching their heads at the lack of urgency to bring new names to north London.
| ‘Big six’ clubs | 2025/26 incoming (so far) |
| Liverpool | Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Ármin Pécsi, Milos Kerkez (heavily rumoured) |
| Manchester City | Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli |
| Chelsea | Liam Delap, Estêvão, Dário Essugo, Mamadou Sarr, Kendry Páez |
| Manchester United | Matheus Cunha |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso, Luka Vuskovic |
| Arsenal | Martin Zubimendi (heavily rumoured) |
Whilst Mikel Arteta appears to have already secured his main midfield target in Martin Zubimendi, the club have taken their time to find the perfect striker.
Arsenal have targeted Benjamin Šeško, Ollie Watkins, and Viktor Gyökeres, and have now reportedly decided on the man they want to lead the line next season.
Arsenal preparing to bid for Viktor Gyökeres
According to The Sun, Arsenal are turning their interest towards Sporting striker Viktor Gyökeres.
With the Gunners’ pre-season tour of Asia commencing in July, Arteta will want to get his man through the door swiftly in order to integrate him into the squad ahead of next season.
Gyökeres has tallied up 67 goal contributions in 52 games across all competitions this term, leading to interest from top clubs all across Europe, including Premier League rivals Manchester United.
The 27-year-old’s arrival would see him automatically become the first-choice number nine at the club, and with Arsenal’s difficult opening fixtures, they will hope he can make an impact from the start.
Arsenal’s interest in fellow target Šeško was slowed following discussions with his camp, who demanded higher wages for the Slovenian international than Arsenal are willing to spend.
Some Arsenal fans wanted Šeško over Gyökeres
No decision can please an entire fanbase, and Arsenal fans have been very torn on which striker they would prefer to join the club.
Some favoured the Swedish international as a result of both his excellent goal-scoring campaign and his experience.
Šeško, on the other hand, is more of an unknown entity. At just 22 years old, he scored 13 Bundesliga goals for RB Leipzig last season, but has spent just a handful of years at the top level.
Fans have taken to X to express their feelings, with one user calling the potential arrival of Gyökeres a ‘stepping stone’ for the club.
Another user, after Arsenal reportedly hit a crossroads in negotiations for Šeško, labelled the choice ‘awful’, stating: “I don’t get how we’ve fumbled this transfer.”
A third fan weighed up the two options, saying: “Is Gyökeres the better goalscorer though? Being able to score lots of goals is impressive, but the variety of the type of goals he scores, concerning.
“Šeško is a better fit. He is a proper athlete, he’s younger, he fits our timeline better and has a deeper bag.”