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LONDON — Before facing a Sporting CP side led by Viktor Gyökeres during his final prolific season in Lisbon, Estrela da Amadora defender Ferro claimed the only way to stop the unstoppable striker was with a "magic potion." Whatever he brewed up proved ineffective. Gyökeres netted twice and assisted the other goal in a 3–0 victory.
Right now, it seems as though it would actually take a magic potion to get Gyökeres back on the scoresheet.
Arsenal's struggling striker endured a peculiar debut campaign, somehow managing to disappoint despite posting deceptively solid numbers. Gyökeres is fighting for playing time just as much as he is for goals at the start of his second season.
After Arteta opted for a slightly injured Kai Havertz over the Sweden international against Leeds United on Saturday — despite Gyökeres coming off a productive spell with his national team — the Arsenal manager was pressed on what the striker would need to do to earn his place.
"He will play games and he will have minutes," Arteta assured, "and the best way [to earn more] is when they enter the pitch, show how good they are. That's it." Gyökeres had the chance to show his quality in Tuesday's Champions League win over Lille. He did not deliver.
Gyokeres's Worrisome Form Continues
Gyökeres was handed the responsibility of leading the attack for a heavily rotated Arsenal side in their first Champions League home fixture of the season, yet supporters could be forgiven for barely noticing the anonymous figure in the No. 14 shirt. The Swede managed just 12 thoroughly forgettable touches — fewer than half the number recorded by goalkeeper David Raya.
The supposed focal point of Arsenal's attack simply could not hold the ball up, functioning as a black hole where every attacking move went to wither. Gyökeres even managed to be flagged offside without touching the ball or being the intended target of a pass; his run in the sightline of Berke Özer completely nullified Eberechi Eze's first-half shot on goal.
In isolation, any player can be excused for an off night. Lille are no pushovers, currently sitting second in Ligue 1 above Paris Saint-Germain. But this has become the troubling norm for Gyökeres — a striker who not only fails to score but rarely even manages a shot. It has been nearly 200 minutes of Premier League and Champions League football since Gyökeres last registered an attempt on goal for Arsenal.
Viktor Gyokeres in UCL, PL in 2026–27
Emirates Losing Their Patience
Toward the end of a goalless first half, Gyökeres crumpled while challenging for a long ball forward. It was the first indication that even the home crowd had run out of patience with their striker, responding with a groan of frustration rather than any calls for a non-existent foul.
When Arteta finally put Gyökeres out of his misery with a substitution in the 65th minute — moments after the striker watched Jurriën Timber produce an elegant turn and finish well beyond his current capabilities — the Emirates fell into a telling silence. The muted reaction was a fitting tribute to a performance so absent that whatever frustration once surrounded the $85 million signing had curdled into indifference. Havertz's entrance, by contrast, was met with a roar.
An even louder cheer, however, was reserved for Olivier Giroud stepping off Lille's bench. There was a thin scattering of boos from those who hadn't forgiven the Frenchman for his time at Chelsea, but the overwhelming reaction was one of genuine affection for a man who scored 105 goals for Arsenal.
Giroud serves as an apt contrast to Gyökeres. The towering Frenchman was never the most clinical finisher and could test supporters' patience, yet he compensated with the kind of fluid combination play that would leave Gyökeres bewildered. Arteta praised his former teammate as "extremely intelligent" ahead of their reunion. "He was so good at connecting with other players." These are not qualities that can be readily attributed to Gyökeres.
Clear Set of Starters Emerging
If the Emirates crowd was beginning to turn on Gyökeres, Arteta was clearly no more impressed. Midway through the first half, the Basque manager nearly stepped onto the pitch, such was the fury with which he urged his striker to drop deeper after Lille had carved through Arsenal's disorganised press.
To be fair to Gyökeres, he was not the only squad player to disappoint on a night when Arteta made five changes from Saturday's league victory. The entire forward line looked disjointed, particularly without the ball. At one stage, Declan Rice stood with both arms spread wide in exasperation, demanding to know where his red-shirted teammates were supposed to be pressing.
Davide Ancelotti astutely deployed Hákon Arnar Haraldsson cutting inside from the left flank, exploiting the uncertain space between three Arsenal defenders. Lille were permitted to complete 85% of their passes during an unintentionally passive opening period.
Arsenal found the breakthrough before Arteta had introduced his key players, and the decisive moment came from Timber, who would not look out of place in the starting XI. The shift in momentum was striking — the goal was swiftly followed by the introductions of Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Havertz, and the game changed almost instantly.
Ødegaard is Arsenal's heartbeat both on and off the pitch, with the captain directing the team's press. Within minutes of coming on, the very zone Lille had repeatedly exploited became the area where they surrendered possession, gifting Saka the opportunity to slide a pass across the box for Eberechi Eze. Saka then completed a seven-minute scoring burst himself to seal all three points.
By that point, Gyökeres had resumed his familiar position on the bench, catching his breath and gazing around with a quiet sigh of personal resignation. Perhaps Ferro had managed to slip him that magic potion after all.