Viktor Gyokeres has said he expects to be playing 'as much football as possible' after finding himself out of favour at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta this season. The Sweden international, signed last summer for £64million, scored 21 goals in his debut campaign in England but was often benched for Kai Havertz in the biggest matches, including the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Limited minutes so far
Havertz has started all five of Arsenal's Premier League games this term, while Gyokeres has been restricted to just 29 minutes of top-flight action off the bench. He has also featured in the Champions League and Carabao Cup, but his lack of league minutes follows a summer of speculation linking him with a move away from north London, with the striker reportedly offered to Atletico Madrid as part of Arsenal's bid to sign Julian Alvarez.
Gyokeres scored his first goal of the season for his country in a Nations League win over Romania on Friday night, tapping in from close range after an effort from Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall was saved by the goalkeeper.
Determined to improve
The 28-year-old is keen to build on that momentum once the international break ends. Speaking to fotbollskanalen, he said: 'It felt good (to score) and I felt good physically. I felt involved, so it was fun to be out there playing.'
'I haven't played a lot, but I've had a few games. It's felt okay then, but it's clear that I want to play football and as much as possible. Hopefully that will come, too. You always want to be on the field as a football player.'
'Of course you expect more playing time, but we have an extremely good squad with a lot of good players and have been doing well here at the start,' he continued. 'I'm just trying to focus on what I can control and do my best to play more.'
Positive talks with Arteta
Gyokeres acknowledged he 'needs to do better' and revealed there have been positive conversations between him and Mikel Arteta. 'I obviously need to do better and I'm willing to do it, so it's no problem,' he said. 'It's good (the dialogue with the coach). I just try to do well when I get the chance and score goals.'
The striker could get a chance in the starting XI with Havertz picking up an injury while on international duty with Germany. Arsenal return to action on 10 October when they face Leeds United.
