Viktor Gyokeres is under pressure at Arsenal(Image: Carl Recine, Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta once delivered a stark warning to Viktor Gyokeres as the Arsenal boss considers his options following the striker's disappointing start to the season. Despite the Gunners getting off to a flying start in their title defence, Gyokeres has found the net just once so far.
That solitary goal came in the embarrassing Carabao Cup exit at Fleetwood. As reported by Mirror Football, Arsenal have made recruiting a top-quality forward their primary objective in January.
Arteta has placed attacking reinforcements at the top of his agenda, viewing fresh firepower as essential to mounting a challenge across all competitions. That is a damning reflection on Gyokeres, putting his future at the Emirates firmly in question.
As a potential replacement, the Gunners are believed to have identified Bournemouth's Eli Junior Kroupi as a target, though the Cherries would be reluctant to let him go in the next transfer window. Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have also been credited with an interest in the exciting Frenchman, 20.
Arsenal retain a long-standing interest in Juventus' Kenan Yildiz, while fresh uncertainty surrounds Vinicius Junior's long-term future at Real Madrid following the Gunners' summer pursuit of the Brazilian, though a winger remains a secondary priority behind securing a versatile forward.
All of which leaves Gyokeres glancing nervously over his shoulder with reminders of his first encounter with Arteta, who bluntly warned the Swede that he would need to weather goal droughts if he were to succeed at Arsenal.
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Following his stuttering start to last season, the Gunners boss said: "I told him before the first meeting, I said, 'The nine that I want is a nine that when he doesn't score for six or eight games, he can handle that.
"'If not, you have to go somewhere else because the expectation is going to be there.' So, if you put on a nine shirt for Arsenal, you have to be able to say, 'OK, six games, if I don't score, I'm a different player? I start to act in a different way?'
Arsenal are keen on Bournemouth's Junior Kroupi(Image: Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
"No, I want much more of the same of what he's doing. You see the history of the number nines. You're going to have moments like this.
"He brings so much to the team. He creates space and solutions to a lot of the players around him. And with the talent that we have in the team, I'm sure that everybody, him included, will benefit from that."
Mikel Arteta fired an early warning to Gyokeres(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Gyokeres stayed on the bench for most of Sunday's triumph at Liverpool before coming on as a late substitute for match-winner Kai Havertz. With fixtures coming thick and fast, he'll be eager to feature from the off in Wednesday's Champions League encounter away to Slavia Prague.
Max Dowman is eligible for selection as his three-game ban following his red card at Fleetwood is restricted to domestic games only. Arsenal's attempt to overturn the 16-year-old's sending-off was unsuccessful.
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