Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres has opened up about his chances of leaving the Gunners, following a summer of speculation.
The Swede played 36 times in the Premier League last term, as Arsenal won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years – but manager Mikel Arteta hasn't granted him a start in the competition this term, with Kai Havertz preferred up front.
Despite scoring 21 goals in all competitions for the Gunners last term, Gyokeres was heavily linked with an exit after just 12 months over the summer – and speaking now, he hasn't closed the door on departing, should he continue on the bench.
Viktor Gyokeres: 'I am fully focused on Arsenal - of course you expect more playing time'
Gyokeres arrived at Arsenal last summer with high hopes after scoring 97 goals in 102 games at Sporting, firing the Lisbon outfit to back-to-back league titles.
The 28-year-old has struggled somewhat, however, with Arteta's demands to hold the ball up, with his aerial ability and link-up play paling in comparison to both Havertz and auxiliary centre-forward Mikel Merino.
Speaking while on international duty with Sweden, Gyokeres has now addressed rumours that he was close to leaving North London over the summer.
"Of course, there was a lot of speculation,” he said, “But I had a full pre-season, and it felt good. I was fully focused on Arsenal. For me, staying was a given. I'm extremely happy at the club.”
The striker was quick to point out, though, that while he enjoys being a member of a competitive squad, he would prefer to be starting more often than he has been.
"It's clear that I want to play football as much as possible,” he continued. “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."
FourFourTwo understands that Gyokeres was a candidate to leave over the summer – potentially to Atletico Madrid – but ultimately, the club decided to cash in on Gabriel Martinelli, given that he would command a higher transfer fee.
Fellow forwards Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard also left N5, along with Ethan Nwaneri on loan to Borussia Dortmund, leaving Arteta short of numbers in attack.
Gyokeres is valued at €65 million by Transfermarkt. Arsenal play Leeds when the international break ends and Premier League action resumes.
