{"id":3715,"date":"2026-04-28T10:15:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T10:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/updatelive.online\/?p=3715"},"modified":"2026-04-28T10:15:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T10:15:22","slug":"arsenal-need-kai-havertz-alternative-to-offer-more-than-viktor-gyokeres-what-are-the-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updatelive.online\/?p=3715","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal need Kai Havertz alternative to offer more than Viktor Gyokeres. What are the options?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Kai Havertz was not the only one feeling a sense of resignation when he was forced off with injury after 34 minutes against Newcastle United on Saturday. Those watching inside and outside the Emirates Stadium knew the dynamic of the match was about to shift.<\/p>\n

Havertz had started Arsenal\u2019s last two games up front and helped provide a platform that allowed for longer spells of possession and attacks. Coming on in his place against Newcastle was Viktor Gyokeres \u2014 and his performance would not have surprised anybody.<\/p>\n

Arsenal\u2019s No 14 struggled yet again to make the ball stick up front, and that lack of security took the match into uncomfortable territory. It contributed to a more back-and-forth affair than had been the case early on, which kept Newcastle in the match.<\/p>\n

With Havertz now having picked up an injury \u2014 although the club are optimistic it is not serious and remain hopeful of his return before the end of the season \u2014 Arsenal need his replacement for the next week to offer more than Gyokeres has in previous appearances.<\/p>\n

The Sweden forward has a turnover rate \u2014 the share of possessions lost as a share of total touches \u2014 of 42 per cent, the highest of any centre-forward with 900 minutes or more.<\/p>\n

And it was telling that when Havertz returned from a knee injury in January, Arteta spoke about how Havertz \u201cmoves, communicates and makes a team better\u201d.<\/p>\n

Arteta may need to look beyond Gyokeres in the upcoming games. The forward is Arsenal\u2019s top scorer with 18 goals, but has not managed to consistently replicate all-round performances such as his one away at Tottenham Hotspur in February.<\/p>\n

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\n Kai Havertz goes down against Newcastle (Stuart MacFarlane\/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Next in line would likely be Gabriel Jesus, who has had a mixed season since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee in December.<\/p>\n

The Brazilian\u2019s return breathed life into a lacklustre Arsenal attack as he combined with his team-mates to inject impetus. A half-hour away at Club Brugge in the Champions League restored a similar feeling to when Jesus first signed for Arsenal in 2022, when his energetic style was an upgrade on an ageing Alexandre Lacazette.<\/p>\n

That night in December, Jesus had more touches than Gyokeres despite being on the pitch for half the time, and had four shots (one hitting the crossbar). The 29-year-old followed that up with encouraging cameos against Wolves and Everton, before starting and scoring two away to Inter in January, but his form has been indifferent since.<\/p>\n

Arsenal play Atletico Madrid tonight, with their opponents no longer the defensively rigid team they once were<\/a>. They have conceded three or more goals seven times this season, and have gone 36 Champions League matches without a goalless draw \u2014 averaging four goals in these matches. Utilising Jesus, who should be relatively fresh having played just 85 minutes since the Carabao Cup final, may be more beneficial than Gyokeres.<\/p>\n

If Arteta were to look for someone with more match rhythm, Leandro Trossard is an option. The 31-year-old is yet to start a game as a centre-forward this season, which is surprising considering how effective he has been there in previous years.<\/p>\n

In the 2022-23 season, his deployment as a roaming false nine saw him register 10 Premier League assists in 20 matches. The following season, his two-man strike partnership with Havertz helped spark a run that took the title race to the final day. Last year, when Mikel Merino moved back into midfield during Havertz\u2019s injury absence, Trossard started seven consecutive league games up front, scoring four goals and assisting another.<\/p>\n

Three years on from when he first fulfilled the role at Arsenal, Trossard may not have the physicality to roam to combine with others as easily as he once did, but he displayed something in that scoring run last year that Gyokeres is yet to show: technique under pressure.<\/p>\n

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\n Viktor Gyokeres is Arsenal\u2019s top scorer\u2026 but is not as fluid with his team-mates (Nigel French\/Sportsphoto\/Allstar via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

He bought himself extra time and space to get a shot away with deft dummies before each of those four goals (against Everton, Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace).<\/p>\n

Not only is he a clean striker of the ball off both feet, but a blend of trickery and sharpness in front of goal could give Trossard the edge over Jesus. But he, too, has not been in strong form. The Belgium international has seven goals and nine assists this season, but just three of those (all assists) have come since the turn of the year.<\/p>\n

Despite his misplaced pass against Newcastle, Gyokeres\u2019 best moments for Arsenal have come when matches are more open and he has space. Arteta may opt to start him if he thinks that is how he feels upcoming matches could pan out, but those scenarios are more likely to occur later in matches when teams are chasing a goal.<\/p>\n

Instead, using either Jesus or Trossard feels like it would get the best out of the attack as a whole. Both players interchange nicely with their team-mates, and while there may need to be some adjustment in terms of the types of passes that are played up to them, that should make their attack more cohesive.<\/p>\n

Arsenal matches have become too frantic too often with Gyokeres up front. Merino being available would have been perfect for Arteta, as he not only offers a goal threat, but can vacate space for others to attack, as in the 4-1 win over Spurs in November.<\/p>\n

But this is the situation Arsenal are in. Dropping Gyokeres in the middle of a trophy chase may be harsh, but others give Arteta\u2019s side a better chance of dominating and winning matches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kai Havertz was not the only one feeling a sense of resignation when he was forced off with injury after 34 minutes against Newcastle United on Saturday. Those watching inside and outside the Emirates Stadium knew the dynamic of the match was about to shift. Havertz had started Arsenal\u2019s last two games up front and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/updatelive.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/updatelive.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/updatelive.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updatelive.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updatelive.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/updatelive.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updatelive.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/updatelive.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updatelive.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updatelive.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}