Arsenal has finally secured the services of a prolific striker in Viktor Gyokeres, a move that immediately sparks the critical question: what level of goal-scoring prowess will be required from the Swedish forward to realistically propel the Gunners to a Premier League title? Having finished as runners-up for three consecutive seasons, the club has invested over $75 million to bring him to the Emirates. Gyokeres arrives with immense expectations, boasting an impressive record of 97 goals in just 102 appearances for Sporting across all competitions since joining from Coventry City. His primary mission is to elevate Arsenal to new heights, aiming not only for their first Premier League trophy in years but also potentially delivering the club`s inaugural Champions League title.
While some concerns naturally arise about his ability to maintain such a high scoring rate in the more competitive English Premier League compared to Portugal, Gyokeres will benefit from a robust support system at Arsenal. Key creative talents like Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, and new signing Noni Madueke are poised to provide ample service. If Gyokeres can consistently find the dangerous spaces he exploited so effectively at Sporting, the Gunners will undoubtedly be formidable contenders for the Premier League crown once again. The crucial factor, however, is determining the precise goal output needed to push them past their rivals.
Top Scorers of Premier League Winners (2015-2025)
| Season | PL Winner | Top Scorer | Number of goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Liverpool | Mohamed Salah | 29 |
| 2023-24 | Manchester City | Erling Haaland | 27 |
| 2022-23 | Manchester City | Erling Haaland | 36 |
| 2021-22 | Manchester City | Kevin De Bruyne | 15 |
| 2020-21 | Manchester City | Ilkay Gundogan | 13 |
| 2019-20 | Liverpool | Mohamed Salah | 19 |
| 2018-19 | Manchester City | Sergio Aguero | 21 |
| 2017-18 | Manchester City | Sergio Aguero | 21 |
| 2016-17 | Chelsea | Diego Costa | 20 |
| 2015-16 | Leicester City | Jamie Vardy | 24 |
An analysis of the past ten seasons reveals that on only three occasions has the league winner`s top scorer netted fewer than 20 goals. Notably, two of these instances involved Manchester City, whose unique tactical system under Pep Guardiola often sees multiple players contributing significantly to the goal tally, making individual high scores less critical. Over the last decade, the average number of goals scored by the top scorer for a Premier League champion stands at 22.5. Given Arsenal`s attacking talent, Gyokeres is expected to receive sufficient service to meet or even exceed this benchmark.
In the 2024-25 season alone, five players reached or surpassed the 20-goal mark in the Premier League, with three of the top four teams featuring a player who scored at least 20 goals. This establishes a clear target for Gyokeres in his debut Arsenal campaign: hitting 20 or more goals. Last season, a single goal could have dramatically altered Arsenal`s fortunes in multiple instances, especially considering they finished 10 points behind Liverpool. The Gunners recorded 14 draws, the second-highest in the league, and three of their four losses were by just a single goal. A clinical finisher of Gyokeres` caliber could have converted many of these tight results into victories.
For comparison, the combined efforts of Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, who often led the line last season, yielded 22 goals and six assists. In stark contrast, Gyokeres himself scored an astounding 39 league goals for Sporting. While some regression in goal-scoring might be anticipated with the move to the highly demanding Premier League, if he can achieve 20 goals or more, Arsenal could realistically be on track to secure major silverware in the upcoming season.
