Arteta and Odegaard Show Faith in Gyokeres Despite Arsenal Goal Drought

Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard back Viktor Gyokeres amid Arsenal goal drought, praising his impact and insisting goals will soon follow.

Arsenal’s Champions League momentum shows no signs of slowing after a 2–0 win over Olympiacos. Yet the spotlight remains on striker Viktor Gyokeres, who is currently enduring an Arsenal goal drought. Despite his struggles in front of goal, both Mikel Arteta and captain Martin Odegaard have publicly praised the Swedish forward for his overall contribution.

Gyokeres arrived from Sporting CP with big expectations and scored three goals in his first four games. However, since netting against Nottingham Forest on September 13, he has gone five matches without scoring.

Against Olympiacos, the striker came close on several occasions, striking the post and forcing a crucial block, but it was Gabriel Martinelli who converted the rebound to put Arsenal ahead.

Arteta Backs Gyokeres Despite Goal Drought

Mikel Arteta was quick to defend Gyokeres’ performances, stressing that his influence goes beyond scoring.

“What I sense is that he’s doing better and better things every game,” Arteta said. “He was denied a few times, hit the post, but overall his performance was exceptional. We want him to score, yes, but he’s helping the team a lot.”

The manager added that he hopes the Viktor Gyokeres Arsenal goal drought ends soon, pointing to the upcoming Premier League clash against West Ham.

Odegaard: “Always a Threat”

Martin Odegaard, who assisted Bukayo Saka’s late goal against Olympiacos, agreed on Arteta’s view.

“He does a tremendous job in creating space for others and he was just inches away from scoring,” Odegaard told TNT Sports.

The captain praised Gyokeres’ aggression and movement, noting their growing partnership:

“That is my job, to create things for them. Especially with Viktor, who is so aggressive and always a threat.”

While the Viktor Gyokeres Arsenal goal drought continues, his pressing, physicality, and link-up play have strengthened the Gunners’ attack. With Odegaard back in form and Arsenal’s depth shining through, Arteta’s side appears well equipped to weather this temporary dip in finishing.

Gyokeres has both his manager and captain’s support as West Ham prepares to visit the Emirates, and he could be just one goal away from rekindling his scoring touch.

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