Arsenal
Arteta says Gyökeres will hit new level in second half of season
Arteta expects Gyökeres to reach a higher level in the second half, citing fitness and pressure too.
Mikel Arteta has defended Viktor Gyökeres after a slow start at Arsenal and predicted the striker will improve in the second half of the season. Gyökeres has six goals from 19 appearances at the Emirates Stadium, scoring in just four matches and registering his Premier League goals against sides currently in the bottom five.
Arteta pointed to fitness issues and the weight of expectation surrounding the summer transfer as explanations for the modest return so far. The manager also referenced a self-enforced training strike that delayed Gyökeres’s preparation for the campaign and left him without a proper pre-season.
“Well, I think the level of attention on him hasn’t changed since he signed to today,” Arteta said to reporters on Friday. “It’s normal. You know, everybody was so excited to bring him into the club.
“We did it. We brought a player with an incredible scoring record who had to adapt to the league. He had no pre-season. The first few weeks were difficult because physically he wasn’t in his best state and he’s a player that needs that, like any other player in this league, almost to perform at that level. Then he kicked on. I think he had a really good period and he got injured.
“And now he’s back. I saw a lot of positive things in the last two games that he’s done. I know we need to continue to tweak and understand him a little bit better in certain situations, and he needs to do the same. But that’s about time. We have full support for him.”
Arteta also noted the adjustment to life at a big club and the global attention Gyökeres must manage after his move from Sporting. “You have to experience it,” Arteta warned. “You can imagine the global impact that you’re going to have to deal with when you come to a big club, and the expectations are as such.
“But after you have to live it. And living it is always slightly different to your imagination. But he’s doing it with a lot of desire. I think his energy level, his commitment, it’s absolutely top. And we are here to help him because we’ve all been here. We all need time.
“There is always moments and the strikers have moments. They score more goals, less goals. And we need to be there for him.”
Arteta finished optimistic about Gyökeres’s trajectory. “I think so, yes.” he proclaimed.
Analytics & Stats
Injury toll exposed: Arsenal hit 100 while United top five-year cost chart
Arsenal have recorded 100 unique injuries since August 2024; United lead five-year injury costs est.
New figures show Arsenal have recorded 100 unique injuries since August 2024, leaving the club top of a recent tally of fitness setbacks across the Premier League, per Sky Sports News. Brighton sit second on 97, Tottenham 90, Newcastle 86 and Aston Villa 85. Manchester City recorded 82, while Chelsea and Man Utd are level on 78. The wider table runs through Wolves (72), Crystal Palace (69), Liverpool (67) and others down to West Ham on 43.
White was the most likely candidate to tip Arsenal into triple digits. The buccaneering defender has been injured on nine separate occasions over the past 18 months, keeping him out for a yawning 166 days and counting. Intriguingly, Declan Rice is deemed to be the second-most injury-prone Arsenal player, racking up eight different fitness setbacks. However, the formidably durable midfielder has only been forced out for 33 days, forever sustaining a knock which is just as swiftly brushed off.
Arsenal are currently without a whole glut of defenders, forcing the few fit players to overload themselves in the process of covering for their absent teammates. Arteta has been at pains to lament this “really dangerous” cycle and warned that the fitness woes won’t stop at 100. In the words of the beleaguered manager, Arsenal are “buying tickets for another injury.”
Across a longer span, the Howden Football Injury Index (via The Times) has calculated the financial toll from 2020–21 to 2024–25. Manchester United top that five-year list with 399 recorded injuries and a total injury cost of £154.5 million. Chelsea follow on 357 injuries (£137.9 million), Newcastle 355 (£105 million) and Arsenal 322 (£99.7 million).
United posted the worst injury records in the Premier League in three of the last five seasons (2020–21, 2022–23 and 2023–24). Lisandro Martínez is still being gently ushered back after damaging his ACL 10 months ago in February, while Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt are currently battling fitness complaints. That shortage of senior defenders prompted Amorim to start the 19-year-old Ayden Heaven in the middle of his back three for the first time after Bournemouth on Monday, and the hosts shipped four goals at Old Trafford.
Arsenal
Arteta: Arsenal Must Convert Squad Depth Into Near Perfection to End Title Wait
Arteta says Arsenal have added quality and versatility; depth must turn into near perfection. It is.
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal have reached “another level” this season as the club pursues its first Premier League title in 22 years. After finishing as runners-up in 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25, the manager insists improvement in squad depth and maturity has been critical as his Class of ’26 sit top of the table approaching the halfway stage.
“We’ve gone to another level this season. Last season, at times, we had 13 or 14 outfield players competing [for places]. It’s not enough,” the manager told TNT Sports .
Summer recruitment saw Arsenal spend around £272.5 million on seven new players, while Piero Hincapié arrived on loan with a £45 million option to buy next year. The new signings, combined with Cristhian Mosquera, have helped cover defensive injuries and Martín Zubimendi has strengthened the centre of midfield. Up front, Viktor Gyökeres provides a recognised No. 9, even if he has not matched the prolific scoring rate he enjoyed at Sporting CP. Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke have added creativity high up the pitch.
“We’ve gone and increased the numbers and certainly the quality and, within that, the versatility of this team. We’ve added pieces we didn’t have that can complement each other in a really powerful way, and they have adapted really well.”
Arteta also emphasised the role of experience gained from near misses. “You can see the way the team competes and the way the individuals, as well, have evolved and matured. That’s something that takes time to get into that position,” Arteta added. “Look at Bukayo and the amount of games that he’s played at his age, or [Gabriel] Martinelli or [William] Saliba or big [Gabriel], Jurriën [Timber], he’s 23 years old—that’s what we’ve been building.”
Still, Arteta warned that achieving the title will demand outstanding consistency. “[In 2023 – 24], we scored the most goals in the history of Arsenal Football Club and the least goals conceded, the most clean sheets and the most wins. You still don’t win the league. That’s the demands that we have,” Arteta went on to explain.
Arsenal
PSG and Barcelona dominate 2025 Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s 11s
PSG and Barcelona players led the 2025 Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s 11s revealed at the awards. Read.
The 2025 Best FIFA Football Awards revealed men’s and women’s Teams of the Year that were shaped by last season’s major club achievements. Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League winners featured heavily in the men’s selection, while Barcelona and Spain supplied the bulk of the women’s eleven.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, who may have since moved on to Manchester City, was included after a season in which he was instrumental in PSG’s triumphs. The PSG presence continued with Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho and Nuno Mendes in defence and Vitinha in midfield. The forward line included 2025 Best FIFA Men’s Player Ousmane Dembélé alongside Lamine Yamal, with Pedri also voted into the XI. Liverpool centre back Virgil van Dijk was recognised for his role in the Reds winning the Premier League title, and English midfielders Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham completed the midfield mix.
The full men’s XI named at the ceremony was: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho, Virgil van Dijk, Nuno Mendes; Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Vitinha; Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Ousmane Dembélé.
On the women’s side, Spain and Barcelona dominated the selection, with four players from England’s Lionesses included after retaining their European Championship title. Aitana Bonmatí, voted Best FIFA Women’s Player for the third successive year, led a Barcelona contingent that also included Alexia Putellas, Patri Guijarro, Clàudia Pina, Irene Paredes and Ona Batlle.
Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey, who left Barcelona for the Gunners in 2024 and helped steer Arsenal to Champions League glory, was named in the lineup despite debate over individual awards. The women’s XI was completed by Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson and Alessia Russo.
Both teams reflect the season’s balance of club and international success as recognised by the 2025 awards.
