Bukayo Saka forced to hand vital Arsenal job to Viktor Gyokeres as Mikel Arteta makes surprise call on £64m striker

Gyokeres has been installed as Arsenal's designated penalty taker following his arrival in north London by Arteta, replacing Saka in the role, according to Sportbladet. The decision was made before Arsenal kicked off their Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Arsenal's new signing does have a good record when it comes to penalties. Gyokeres boasts an 89% success rate after scoring 34 of 38 spot-kicks in his career so far. The former Sporting CP striker is set to take the responsibility from Saka, who has scored 14 out of 17 penalties, with Martin Odegaard another option for Arsenal. The captain has scored four out of five for the Gunners from 12 yards, with his only miss coming against Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup last season.

Gyokeres made his Premier League debut for Arsenal against Man Utd on Sunday but failed to impress and didn't manage a single shot on goal at Old Trafford. The big-money buy came in for criticism for his performance from the Portuguese press, who labelled him "heavy" and "non-existent" against Ruben Amorim's side.

Arsenal play their first home Premier League game of the season next when they host Leeds United at the Emirates on Saturday, with Gyokeres in contention to lead the line once again.