Arsenal's Max Dowman could not hide his frustration after seeing Viktor Gyokeres blaze over from close range during their 3-2 pre-season defeat to Borussia Dortmund. The Gunners were beaten in front of their own fans in a less-than-ideal preparation for their Premier League title defence.
Dortmund's Early Dominance
Dortmund raced into a two-goal lead, and after Ethan Nwaneri pulled one back, they re-established their two-goal buffer. Gyokeres scored from the penalty spot to set up a grandstand finish, but earlier in the contest had seen an effort from no more than 12 yards go over the bar.
It was Dowman who had made the run to the byline before setting the ball back for the Swede, and after seeing him spurn the opportunity, the teenage sensation was caught throwing his arms up in the air in frustration.
Gyokeres' Debut Season Under Scrutiny
Gyokeres, who was able to score from the penalty spot, did cop criticism in his debut season for his finishing. He managed to score 21 times for the Gunners but still question marks hang over whether the ex-Sporting Lisbon star is the forward that Mikel Arteta has been looking for.
When it came to the business end of the season last term, Arteta opted to start Kai Havertz as the central point of Arsenal's attack, picking the German over Gyokeres in the Champions League final.
Transfer Speculation and Arteta's Response
Arsenal had been linked with a lucrative move for Vinicius Junior earlier this summer, but the Brazilian has chosen to remain at Real Madrid. Nevertheless, the north Londoners could still go after a blockbuster deal in the final third before the transfer window closes.
Arteta said after their loss to Dortmund: "It has to be the right player in the market to make us much better. We are very much looking forward to that."
The Arsenal boss is adamant that the team will come good despite some below-par results in pre-season. "I think it has to, it has to hurt when you lose a football match, it has to hurt when it is a friendly match, a test or whatever you want to call it," he said. "But yes, we know where we are. We know that we are missing still a lot of players and some players that haven't had enough training. And yes, sometimes it's good."
