Will Kai Havertz return as Arsenal’s starting striker?

Kai Havertz has slipped into the role of Arsenal’s second-choice striker following the arrival of Viktor Gyökeres, who has been entrusted to lead the line at the Emirates. The Swedish forward joined the Gunners this summer after a drawn-out negotiation with Sporting Club, with Mikel Arteta’s side determined to address their lack of cutting edge in attack.

Arsenal’s decision to pursue Gyökeres was rooted in the struggles of both Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, who failed to consistently deliver the volume of goals required to challenge for the biggest trophies. The Gunners are convinced that the Swede, with his prolific record in Portugal, is the solution to their problems in front of goal.

Gyökeres scored close to 100 goals in just two seasons at Sporting, a tally that underlines his ability to find the net with regularity. Arsenal supporters believe that even replicating half of that output in England would be enough to put their team in contention for silverware.

A Difficult Start for Gyökeres

The striker’s debut, however, was less than ideal. Starting in Arsenal’s season opener against Manchester United, Gyökeres struggled to make an impact and quickly faced questions about whether he could deliver at the highest level. His lack of sharpness, coupled with moments of poor execution, drew scrutiny from pundits and fans alike.

One such critic is Troy Deeney, who is not convinced that the former Sporting star is the right man to spearhead Arsenal’s attack. Speaking on Talk Sport, Deeney expressed doubts about the forward’s quality, saying

“Gyokeres, for me, is not the answer. I know it’s only one game in and people will say that he’s rusty, but if you look at his movement, the way he was running, again there was an incident where he went through one v one and stands on the ball. “It’s just, for me I think you are going to see, and I’ve said it in a column in The Sun on the weekend, you’re going to see Havertz start more games than you will Gyokeres over the course of the season.”