National team boss defends Arsenal player after call-up

Sweden confirmed their squad for the September-October international break on Wednesday, and Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres was included on the list as expected.

Gyokeres hasn’t found minutes easy to come by in Arsenal’s Premier League campaign so far, with Kai Havertz seemingly the first-choice starter for Mikel Arteta. But he remains a key player for his country, and there was never much doubt he’d be called up.

When asked about Gyokeres’ recent struggles with Arsenal, Sweden boss Graham Potter suggested he didn’t think it was a big problem.

“Things happen. Things go up and down, just like life does,” Potter said. “He’s a Premier League winner. He scored a lot of goals as a number nine for Arsenal.

“He was incredible in World Cup qualifying and had a great World Cup as well.

“Players at this level will always get criticism at some point. But there is no problem here. We’re all looking forward to having Viktor with us. We’re going to help him enjoy his football.”

In a way, the international break is coming at a good time for Gyokeres. After Saturday’s game away to Brighton, he’ll have two weeks and four matches with Sweden, in which he’s likely to be a key starter.

It’s been difficult for the 28-year-old to build up much momentum with Arsenal, but he has the chance to do so on international duty.

Even just getting off the mark with his goalscoring would be a boost, given he’s yet to score for the Gunners in 2026/27. Given his 21 goals in 37 games for Sweden, it would be a surprise if he didn’t score in the next four.

Sweden are set to face Romania (H, Sep 25th), Poland (H, Sep 28th), Bosnia & Herzegovina (A, Oct 2nd), and Romania (A, Oct 5th) in a batch of Nations League fixtures over the break. Gyokeres will then return to Arsenal for a game at home to Leeds on October 10th.