Gabriel Jesus offered a fascinating comment about Viktor Gyokeres following Arsenal’s 3-1 victory in the Champions League over Inter.
Jesus scored Arsenal's first two goals while Gyokeres added a stunning third goal late on, as the pair vie for the starting striker berth in Mikel Arteta’s three-point machine.
In winning a club record seventh Champions League match in a row, Arsenal moved to 21 points and guaranteed their spot in the top two at the end of the league phase.
Striker selection headache for Mikel Arteta ahead of Manchester United clash
Gyokeres’ £65m move from Sporting in the summer shone a huge spotlight on the Swede, but his place in the team was initially guaranteed by long-term injuries to Kai Havertz and Jesus.
Jesus was sidelined for almost all of 2025 with an ACL injury, but his return has brought optimism and goals, and his brace on Tuesday left Arteta with a selection dilemma ahead of Saturday’s match against Manchester United.
Jesus regularly played second fiddle behind Sergio Aguero during his time at Manchester City and was criticised for extended goal droughts
And after the victory over Inter at the San Siro, he revealed his thoughts on his competitors for the starting striker berth.
He said: "To think about starting in this moment, everyone wants to start, to get minutes, to get chances, but now I understand the whole situation, I'm not a kid anymore, I'm 28.
“I understand football, how it works. I was so happy that Viktor came on and scored a goal. A striker without a goal is always difficult - I've been fighting with this my whole career.
“And I'm 100 per cent sure when Kai gets his chance, he will score."
Out of all Premier League summer signings, only Hugo Ekitike (10) has scored more goals than Viktor Gyokeres (9) across all competitions this season 🎭 pic.twitter.com/yw79JGahWoJanuary 20, 2026
As last year’s first choice striker, Havertz scored 15 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions and will hope to reclaim his spot in the team.
The German was initially utilised in the left midfield position at the Emirates, an experiment Arteta abandoned after a string of poor performances, but may find himself filling in there against Kairat Almaty, with Mikel Merino and Declan Rice suspended.
Gyokeres’ obvious delight at netting on Tuesday may be a symptom of pressure, both from the outside and from those looking to oust him from the team.
