Two games, zero minutes: Could Arsenal’s Gyokeres-Alvarez story have one final twist?

Viktor Gyokeres has now been an unused substitute for both of Arsenal’s opening Premier League games, and inevitably that is beginning to raise questions about the striker’s position in Mikel Arteta’s plans.

The Swede remained on the bench for Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Coventry City and, perhaps more significantly, wasn’t called upon during Arsenal’s tight 1-0 victory at Aston Villa.

Kai Havertz has started both Premier League games, but seeing Gyokeres remain unused while Arsenal searched for a breakthrough at Villa Park was certainly interesting.

Two games alone don’t tell us that Gyokeres is heading for the exit, but the timing is difficult to ignore given what has already been reported about Arsenal’s interest in Julian Alvarez.

Could the Gyokeres and Alvarez story have another twist?

We reported on 23 August that Arsenal were reportedly prepared to consider using Gyokeres as part of an extraordinary package to sign Alvarez from Atletico Madrid.

One claim at the time suggested the Gunners could offer Gyokeres plus £68.5 million for the Argentine.

In fact, we first reported on the possibility of a Gyokeres-Alvarez swap back in June, when reports from Spain suggested Atletico Madrid could be open to discussions if Arsenal were prepared to include the Swedish striker alongside a sizeable transfer fee.

Gyokeres subsequently addressed the speculation himself, saying he felt “extremely comfortable at Arsenal” following the Gunners’ title-winning campaign.

However, circumstances have changed considerably since then.

Gyokeres has now watched Arsenal’s opening two Premier League fixtures entirely from the bench, despite Arteta having opportunities to introduce him in both.

Is Arteta simply choosing Havertz?

There is an obvious alternative explanation.

Arteta may simply prefer Havertz at centre-forward at the moment, with Gyokeres remaining an important member of a squad that will have to compete across several competitions.

Two unused substitute appearances certainly aren’t enough to conclude otherwise.

But on deadline day, against the background of Arsenal’s long-running interest in Alvarez and those previous reports concerning Gyokeres, it is enough to make the situation worth watching.

There is currently no fresh credible report suggesting Arsenal have revived a Gyokeres-plus-cash proposal today, and it would be wrong to suggest that they have.

Nevertheless, the question has become considerably more interesting than it was a week ago.

If Gyokeres remains an Arsenal player when the window closes, perhaps his absence from the opening two games will prove to have been nothing more than Arteta’s early-season selection preference.

If something dramatic happens before the deadline, however, we might look back at those two unused substitute appearances rather differently.

What do you think, Gooners? Is Arteta simply preferring Havertz at the moment, or has Gyokeres being left unused twice made you wonder whether something could still happen before the deadline? Let us know in the comments.
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