At Arsenal’s London Colney base, Viktor Gyökeres returns from Sweden duty with a much louder case for inclusion than his club minutes have suggested. The 28-year-old striker has begun the season on the margins under Mikel Arteta, but a remarkable international run has put him back at the centre of the conversation before Leeds United visit the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Gyökeres joined Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2025 in a deal worth close to €70 million. His first campaign in north London brought 21 goals across 55 appearances, although there were spells when his contribution and his place in Arteta’s plans came under scrutiny.
His involvement has fallen sharply at the start of the current league season. Across Arsenal’s opening five Premier League fixtures, he has played only 29 minutes from a possible 450, has not started a match, and has remained on the bench without appearing three times.
Sweden manager Graham Potter nevertheless selected him for the Nations League fixtures, and the forward responded in emphatic fashion. Gyökeres scored in all four of Sweden’s matches during the international break: the 2-1 win over Romania, the 1-0 victory against Poland, the 1-1 draw with Bosnia, and the 1-0 result against Romania.
That sequence of four goals in four games made him the first player ever to score in seven consecutive UEFA Nations League matches. It is a sharp contrast with the limited role he has had in London, and gives Arsenal a striker arriving back from international duty in excellent scoring form.
Kai Havertz has led the line for the Gunners so far, but Arteta will now have to weigh that selection against Gyökeres’ renewed momentum. After a week in which Sweden’s No. 9 again looked decisive, leaving him out from the start against Leeds may be a more difficult call than it was before the break.
