Gyokeres Joined Arsenal for €73.5 Million but Has No Starts: Was the Deal a Mistake?

Arsenal have enjoyed an extremely smooth start to the new season, winning three straight Premier League matches and overturning Chelsea at home in the London derby to move near the top of the table. While the team celebrated, one expensive striker received only limited minutes, creating a contrast more thought-provoking than a defeat.

A striker bought for a large fee who only watches from the bench is not squad depth, but unused resources. Gyokeres' current situation represents Arsenal's sweetest success hiding a painful problem.

First, how big was this deal originally?

In the 2025 summer window, Arsenal signed Gyokeres from Sporting CP. Transfer reporter Romano confirmed that the fixed fee was €63.5 million with €10 million in add-ons, making the total package €73.5 million, with a contract running until 2030.

Some media reports estimated his weekly salary at around £200,000, making him one of Arsenal's top-level attacking investments.

Last season, he made 55 appearances across all competitions for Sporting CP and Arsenal combined, scoring 21 goals and providing three assists. He made 26 Premier League starts and scored 11 non-penalty goals, producing numbers worthy of a striker.

For an Arsenal side aiming to defend its title and make a deep Champions League run, signing a mature, powerful striker made complete sense.

The issue is not whether signing him was right or wrong, but how he is used afterward. Even an expensive goalscorer can lose sharpness if he is not given enough playing time.

The new season quickly changed the picture.

Through the first three Premier League rounds, Gyokeres had only 12 substitute minutes, with no appearances in the opening two rounds. He played 15 minutes as a substitute against Manchester City in the Community Shield and came on in the 78th minute against Chelsea; changing a game in only a few minutes was unrealistic.

During the same period, Havertz experienced a completely different situation. He contributed to goals against Manchester City in the Community Shield, started the opening matches of the new season, equalized against Chelsea in the 25th minute, and later assisted Odegaard's winner. The contrast naturally led people to ask why last year's expensive striker had become a backup option.

A substitute striker cannot be judged only by late-game statistics. Without rhythm early on, expecting him to score immediately after coming on is unfair.

The derby revealed Arteta's preference.

At the Emirates against Chelsea, the visitors struck in the second minute through Morgan Rogers, putting Arsenal behind early.

In the 25th minute, Rice's through ball allowed Havertz to cut inside and score a low shot into the near corner to equalize. In the 50th minute, Trossard crossed, Havertz stepped over the ball, and Odegaard followed with a powerful finish for a 2-1 victory.

Arsenal had about 55% possession, 16 shots and nine on target, with expected goals of about 2.11. Chelsea had 13 shots, five on target and expected goals of only about 0.35. The data showed Arsenal won through sustained penetration and second-ball control rather than simply relying on a traditional striker.

The striker Arteta currently wants is a false nine who can drop back, distribute and move wide. Gyokeres is better suited to direct runs, penalty-area finishing and turning after holding up play. Those qualities are not bad, but they require specifically designed attacking patterns.

Havertz returned from injury and effectively locked down the position.

Many expected Havertz to lose his place before the season. Between 2025 and 2026, recurring knee and muscle injuries limited his Premier League playing time to 223 minutes at one stage, and he suffered another minor issue after returning, leading to heavy outside criticism.

However, starting from the Community Shield he returned as a false nine, contributing goals and assists against Manchester City and an equalizer and creative contribution against Chelsea. In several early-season matches he was involved in three or more goals. A fit Havertz combining with Odegaard, Trossard and Saka matches Arsenal's passing style.

Gyokeres did not lose to Havertz personally; he lost to a system that is already functioning smoothly. But a successful system does not mean only one striker solution is possible, otherwise options become limited against deep defenses, counterattacks and Champions League away matches.

A traditional striker and a false nine should complement each other.

Gyokeres' strength is his presence in the box. He embraces physical battles, likes receiving through balls, attacking second balls and finishing rebounds, and in transitions he attacks directly rather than relying on combinations.

Havertz's strength is tactical connection. He can drop into midfield areas to receive, link midfield and wide players, reduce Odegaard's defensive workload, and create inside movements for Saka and Trossard. If both approaches are used, Arsenal can use the false nine against strong teams and the striker against weaker teams, making the attack deeper.

The current problem is turning complementarity into replacement. If one approach starts and the other only appears in garbage time, the value of an expensive striker is reduced by at least half.

Merino can only be an emergency option, not a long-term solution.

Arteta has tried converting a midfielder into a striker before. Merino is originally a midfielder and can play as a false nine in intense matches, with advantages in set pieces and aerial ability, but his progression, turning and penalty-area technique naturally have limitations.

A post-match column from L'Equipe also noted that Havertz, Gyokeres and Merino can all play in the number-nine area, but if the manager wants a true striker, Merino is more of a super substitute than a starting answer. Using Merino regularly as a striker is for emergency situations, not for solving Gyokeres' marginalization.

To truly solve the attacking issue, a natural striker needs to play natural striker matches. Otherwise Arsenal will buy Gyokeres, keep Merino and use Havertz while none of the three fully settles into a role.

The congested schedule is Gyokeres' chance to turn things around.

On September 10, Arsenal face Napoli away in their Champions League opener, followed by Premier League matches against Sunderland and Brighton, as well as rotation opportunities such as the League Cup against Ipswich. No matter how much Havertz can run, a false nine pressing system demands energy and cannot be maintained every match during busy schedules.

The Champions League away match against Napoli, League Cup games against lower-level or mid-table opponents and away league matches such as Sunderland are suitable opportunities for Gyokeres to start and find rhythm. Let him play 60 to 75 minutes, with through-ball midfielders and wide attacks, rather than immediately demanding that he drop deep to organize.

Rotation is not charity; it is a tactical necessity. If Arsenal want deep runs in both the Premier League and Champions League, relying on only one striker approach will eventually be insufficient.

Personal view: do not turn an expensive striker into a luxury decoration.

Gyokeres' biggest fear is not declining ability, but fragmented playing time. A striker's finishing touch, movement chemistry and physical rhythm require consecutive matches. Playing only 10 minutes a week can make even a top striker look like a new phone that runs slowly because it lacks power.

Arteta should establish two plans: use Havertz as a false nine in major clashes and high-possession home matches; use Gyokeres as a direct striker in Champions League away games, against deep defensive sides and in the League Cup. Saka and Trossard should provide direct passes, while Rice and Odegaard should play fewer horizontal passes and more penetrative balls.

Spending more than €70 million on a striker is not buying a training tool. If Arsenal ignore another striker profile simply because the system has worked in the opening matches, they may discover in the Champions League knockout stages that they have put their most expensive hammer into storage.

North London can celebrate now. But during the second half of the season's multi-front battles, whether Gyokeres can transform from a bench player into another weapon depends on whether upcoming rotation gives him real opportunities rather than asking him to create miracles in the final ten minutes.