A striker looks set to be Arsenal's priority in the summer transfer window, with Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres once again being linked with a move to the Gunners.

Arsenal's 2024/25 campaign hasn't worked out as hoped, with a semi-final exit in the Champions League and Liverpool wrapping up the Premier League with a few games to spare, meaning the Gunners have gone trophyless for another season. Mikel Arteta's side wasn't helped by a host of injury issues to key players such as Bukayo Saka and Gabriel, but their biggest issue this season has been in front of goal, with the Gunners lacking a talisman.

Along with injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, this season proved that a new striker is a must in the summer for Arteta's side, with Sporting striker Gyokeres a strong option. The Swedish striker has been linked with Arsenal all season after scoring 52 goals in 50 games for the Portuguese side this season.

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Since joining Sporting from Coventry in 2023, the 26-year-old has scored 95 goals in 100 games, showing just how clinical he is. So, if Arsenal were to sign Gyokeres, could Arteta finally lead the Gunners to the Premier League title? Let's take a look.

To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Gyokeres to Arsenal in the summer transfer window before simulating the 2025/26 season. Alongside Gyokeres, Arsenal made another three signings, with Marcus Rashford, Orkun Kokcu, and Morten Hjulmand all making moves to the Emirates Stadium.

Gyokeres hit the ground running for Arsenal, with the Swede scoring four goals on his Premier League debut in a 5-1 win over West Ham United. From there, he continued to impress as he ended the season as the Gunners' top scorer.

In 55 games across all competitions, Gyokeres scored 32 goals for Arsenal, with the striker grabbing a further six assists in that time. Bukayo Saka scored 21, while Rashford was a perfect fit for Arteta's side as he claimed the left-wing position as his own, scoring 20 goals across all competitions.

At the end of the 2025/26 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:

Full Arsenal best XI: (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Hjulmand, Odegaard, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Rashford.

Thomas Partey signed a two-year extension with Arsenal, but he didn't make the best XI, with new signing Hjulmand starting in midfield alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. Gyokeres led the line as Gabriel Martinelli missed out to Rashford on the left, while a host of injury problems saw Myles Lewis-Skelly fail to make the best XI, with Jurrien Timber and Ben White being deputised in either full-back roles.

Arsenal had another impressive campaign in the Premier League as they remained around the top of the table all season long, but there was one team that was just too good for everyone else, with Arteta's side finishing second once again.

26 wins, six draws and six losses saw Arsenal end the campaign with 84 points, but Manchester City spent big in the summer as part of a giant rebuild, with Pep Guardiola's side winning the league with an eye-watering 99 points.

Arsenal did manage to end their trophy drought in the simulation, with Gyokeres getting on the scoresheet in a 2-1 win over Man City in the Carabao Cup final. A 2-1 loss to Liverpool saw the Gunners beaten in the FA Cup final, while Arteta's Champions League campaign wasn't as impressive as this season, with their journey ending in the quarter-finals after losing 4-2 on aggregate to Bayer Leverkusen.