Viktor Gyokeres is closing in on a spot in the top 10 of all-time leading scorers for Sweden in men’s football.
The 28-year-old has scored 25 goals in 41 caps for his national side, just two behind Tomas Brolin and Agne Simonsson. Four of those goals have come in Sweden’s past four games, as they have taken 10 points in their Uefa Nations League group.
But you wouldn’t think Gyokeres was a man in form if you only paid attention to his club football. The striker has fallen out of favour at Arsenal with his 14 appearances across all competitions bringing just 614 minutes. In the Premier League alone Gyokeres has played 181 minutes across seven games. He’s scored two goals across all competitions this season too, netting against Slavia Prague and Fleetwood Town.
So why is Gyokeres such a different player when wearing the yellow of Sweden?
Sweden’s constant in attack
In Sweden’s four Uefa Nations League games in 2026, Gyokeres has rarely had the goalscoring responsibilities solely on his shoulders. The 28-year-old has played in a strike partnership in three of the four matches, only leading the line on his own in the 1-0 win over Romania. He’s been partnered by Alexander Isak, Benjamin Nygren and Besfort Zeneli, being the only constant in the attack.
Sweden’s attack is built around Gyokeres and he thrives because of it. Graham Potter‘s side like to control games with 52.38% possession in the Uefa Nations League this year and an average of 517.8 passes attempted per match. They do also like to win the ball high up the pitch, with 3.5 possessions won in the attacking third per game in the Nations League. But Gyokeres isn’t responsible for it.
The striker has averaged just 0.26 possessions won in the attacking third per 90 in the Nations League. By contrast, his occasional strike partners Nygren (0.96) and Zeneli (0.84) sit in the top two among Sweden players to feature in more than one game.
Allowed to be a goalscorer
Instead, Gyokeres is able to focus on doing his main job. Scoring goals. Gyokeres unsurprisingly leads Sweden for shots in the Nations League this year, with 11. He also sits top of the charts for his five efforts on target. While those numbers pale in comparison to other strikers across the Nations League, Gyokeres is Sweden’s main man. Sebastian Nanasi has taken the second-most shots for Sweden, but he’s far back with four.
Gyokeres has also averaged 1.3 big chances per 90 in the Uefa Nations League, scoring 1.04 of them. With Sweden, Gyokeres looks more like the man who was scoring for fun at Sporting CP. His shots average out to 2.87 per 90, with 1.3 hitting the target — a big difference to his Arsenal return. Confidence will play a part in this too. He is a man clearly loved in Sweden, and he plays like it.
Lost in the shuffle at Arsenal
Arsenal had been crying out for an actual centre-forward for some time. It was seen as the final piece of their Premier League-winning puzzle. And Gyokeres’ arrival did coincide with the Gunners finally ending their wait. But the Swede wasn’t as involved as he would have liked to be.
Like Sweden, Arsenal control their matches. And their control is more significant, averaging 56.91% possession in the Premier League since the start of last season. They do also do a lot more of their work in dangerous areas, averaging 156.8 final-third passes attempted per game. But Gyokeres has been less involved. The Swede has averaged just 26.9 touches per 90 in the Premier League since joining Arsenal, with 5.64 coming in the opposition box.
Regardless of the man in the middle — whether it’s Gyokeres or Kai Havertz — Arsenal’s centre-forward can be isolated from the rest of the team. It’s up to them to get involved in matches, and that’s not something Gyokeres has been too good at. And it’s hurt him.
Gyokeres has averaged 2.13 shots per 90 in the Premier League for Arsenal, with only 0.86 hitting the target. He has also averaged 0.9 big chances per 90, scoring 0.41. That’s where the confidence comes in. Gyokeres had to rely on a few penalties in the Premier League for Arsenal, with spot-kicks making up 0.11 of his 0.52 goals per 90. He has also watched on as other Arsenal players have taken control in games, capable of making an impact themselves.
Arsenal don’t need to go through Gyokeres to find success, and it’s hurting the Swede. But that’s not the Gunners’ fault. This is really a signing that shouldn’t have happened.