Viktor Gyokeres warned 'two or three' Arsenal stars can take his spot despite Chelsea goal

Gyokeres was finally back on the score sheet on Wednesday night (Picture: Getty)

Viktor Gyokeres hopes to have reached a turning point in his Arsenal career following a big goal against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup – but still faces intense competition to keep his place in the team.

The Sweden international arrived in north London as one of Europe’s most prolific marksmen having scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting Lisbon.

Arsenal saw off interest from Manchester United to sign him for £64million but despite three goals in his opening five games, has struggled with the demands of the Premier League .

Mikel Arteta has kept his faith in the striker following his recovery from a hamstring injury and has started him in the last six games in the league. A return of just one goal from open play in 11 however has drawn huge criticism , managing just six touches of the ball in the recent draw with Liverpool .

His fortunes improved on Wednesday night, ending his goal drought with a tap-in as Arsenal secured a 3-2 win over Chelsea in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.

While it was an easy opportunity, the reaction of the Arsenal players spoke volumes with every member of the team joining him to celebrate.

Former Arsenal midfielder Stefan Schwarz made the same move as Gyokeres back in 1994, swapping Lisbon for north London when he arrived from Benfica.

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The Swede ended his goal drought in west London (Picture: Getty)

Schwarz believes the striker is still getting to grips with Arsenal’s set-up, also feeling the affects of missing most of the club’s pre-season preparations, and believes next season will show the best of him.

‘It was a very important goal against a good team in Chelsea away at Stamford Bridge in a semi-final,’ Schwarz told Metro, speaking with betting site Betfree.

‘He has had a tough start but I believe as well that when you miss a big part of pre-season it affects you for the whole season. You are always catching up and he picked up an injury too.

‘I think it will big, big goal for him to help finish off the season well. I think next season for Gyokeres with a proper preseason, he will be a different player we have seen so far.

Gyokeres’ teammates were delighted for him (Picture: Getty)

‘You can’t change Arsenal’s style, you have to adapt as a player. So that is taking time but he is a good old fashioned striker; strong, hardworking, he makes space for others and he is a good finisher. He has other qualities that are important for this Arsenal team.’

Gyokeres’ goal was also a timely one. Arteta now has four options to lead his attack at his disposal with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus back from injury with Mikel Merino also a reliable finisher when deployed up top.

Schwarz believes there will be times when Gyokeres loses his place in the side as the season rolls on, suggesting the likes of Havertz and Jesus will be ‘better suited’ to particular games.

‘There is a lot of competition and it will depend on the opponent,’ he said. ‘Different players will be more suited for different games. We are living in a competitive world and everything is results based.