- Viktor Gyokeres is not expected to debut for Arsenal against Tottenham
- The Swedish striker has passed his medical but still needs to reach full fitness
- Mikel Arteta hopes Gyokeres will be ready in time for the Premier League opener against Manchester United
Key Takeaways:
Mikel Arteta made it clear that Arsenal fans will have to show a bit more patience before seeing new signing Viktor Gyokeres in action for the Gunners.
The £64 million striker was expected to make his debut in the friendly against Tottenham, which will be the first North London derby ever played outside the United Kingdom.
Gyokeres unveiled for the first time in Arsenal jersey today, at #ARSNEW . Welcome Viktor ! 🥷🏻 pic.twitter.com/W6DpBmZj5i
— Optimistic_Gooners (@OptimisticGoons) July 27, 2025
The Swede is already in Singapore with his new teammates and was officially unveiled ahead of the 3–2 win over Newcastle in Hong Kong. However, Arteta stressed that the club’s medical staff must first assess his physical condition.
Gyokeres had refused to report for the start of pre-season with his former club Sporting Lisbon in order to speed up his transfer to Arsenal.
Arteta explained that the medical tests had gone smoothly, but the current priority is getting the Swede physically ready before including him in match action.
When asked whether Gyokeres would take part in tomorrow’s training session and be available for Thursday’s derby, Arteta replied:
“I think he hasn’t had a single training session with the team since his last match with Sporting, when they became champions. We will evaluate tomorrow – he has passed all the medical tests, everything looks fine, but it’s very important to reach the necessary fitness level. We don’t want to hold him back, we want him to be with us as soon as possible, but first we have to assess the situation, and that will be the work of the medical team.”
The goal for the Swedish international is to be in top shape for Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Manchester United on 17 August.