‘Not a classy attacker’ but Viktor Gyokeres backed by fellow Swede to produce his ‘best’ for Arsenal in Premier League title defence

Having spent several years searching for a prolific No.9 to lead their line, Arsenal turned to Gyokeres for inspiration during the summer of 2025. A man that had previously spent time in British football with Brighton, Swansea and Coventry was a much sought-after asset at that stage after plundering 97 goals through 102 appearances for Portuguese giants Sporting.

The transfer package pieced together by Mikel Arteta and Co could eventually end up being worth over £66 million ($88m), with the Gunners happy to dig deep if Gyokeres proves to be the final piece of a trophy-winning puzzle.

Premier League title glory was savoured by the Gunners last season for the first time in 22 years, while they also reached the Champions League final - before coming unstuck against back-to-back winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Gyokeres played his part in restoring domestic dominance, finding the target on 21 occasions across all competitions, but has not convinced everyone that he is the rightful heir to a throne once occupied by the likes of Ian Wright, Thierry Henry and Robin van Persie.

Arsenal continue to monitor the recruitment market when it comes to firepower, with Barcelona reportedly being joined in the race for Atletico Madrid’s World Cup-winning former Manchester City star Julian Alvarez.

Gyokeres could face fiercer competition for places in the not too distant future, but fellow countryman Schwarz believes that the 28-year-old can become the long-term solution to Arsenal’s striker poser.

The ex-Sweden international, who spent time on Arsenal’s books in the mid-1990s, told GOAL - speaking in association with Betinia - when asked if Gyokeres can fend off the threat of Alvarez and other supposed targets: “It's a different type of player. I think we can compare him with [Brian] Brobbey at Sunderland, that kind of striker. They have a very strong physical presence, they like to compete, they want to feel the opponent, they try to push around in the channels, make it very difficult for the opponent.

“He's not, if you say, a classy attacker with the best dribbles. But you need different players to have a successful season. And I think Gyokeres showed at the end of the season, the last three months, that he got used to it. He started to score goals and was very productive.

“As well as with Gyokeres, he didn't have a pre-season last year. He came in very late. Probably because he didn't train that much, he had a slight injury in the beginning. So that doesn't help. I think this second season we will see the best out of him. You can always add other different types of players around him to make the complete puzzle even better.”

Alvarez, who is currently on 2026 World Cup duty alongside Lionel Messi, is said to be holding out for a switch to La Liga champions Barcelona - which may end up working in Gyokeres’ favour.

His summer has been cleared following Sweden’s last-32 defeat to Kylian Mbappe and France, meaning that a full part can be played in Arsenal’s pre-season plans. He will be looking to hit the ground running in a Community Shield clash with Manchester City on August 16 and Premier League season opener at home to some familiar faces on the books of newly-promoted Coventry.