Viktor Gyokeres: Has Arsenal forward finally found form?

Gyokeres was signed for his ability to find the net, but he was also brought in to create space for the attackers behind him.

And despite his personal struggles on the field, that thought has proven to be true.

Arsenal have a better win percentage (84%) and concede fewer goals when starting out.

Statistics show that Arsenal took more points without Gyokeres starting but also conceded more goals without him, highlighting his work rate and desire to help the team.

“I love his character,” Arteta said when asked about Gyokeres’ mental strength and resilience after the win over Sunderland.

“The way he approaches every day is that he is so focused on the present, on what he needs to do, and has a real will to help the team in whatever role he takes on.”

“When you put on this shirt, there comes a lot of responsibility and great expectations. And you have to live with that. In your journey here, there will be moments when things go really well, and there will be times when it’s hard.”

The scrutiny of Gyokeres since his signing has been very high as the club was desperate to win trophies after many near misses.

Added to this was his goalscoring record and Arsenla taking the number 14, made famous by record goalscorer Thierry Henry.

“When you look at Viktor it is very difficult to understand his emotions because he is looking directly at you and you don’t really know,” Arteta said.

“But he doesn’t seem too affected by the real ups and downs.

“And that’s what we need – stability. He demands a lot of himself. He’s always trying to improve and that’s really good.”

It may have been difficult for Gyokeres at times, but there are still plenty of games left with potentially special moments for Arsenal.

Now that the striker has found the net, he puts himself in position to be a big part of it.