Arsenal Are Already Shopping for Gyokeres' Successor Just a Year After Paying £55m for Him

Twelve months after paying £55 million for Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal are reportedly already lining up his long-term replacement. According to FourFourTwo, the club has identified Shakhtar Donetsk forward Kaua Elias as a potential heir to the Swede, while simultaneously pursuing Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez as a more immediate marquee addition.

It is a startling juxtaposition for a title-winning striker. Gyokeres helped fire Arsenal to the Premier League crown, yet the report suggests Mikel Arteta is already reshaping his attack around the idea that the current No.9 doesn't quite fit the system he wants.

Why Gyokeres Is Already Under Pressure One Year On

The numbers explain some of the unease. Gyokeres scored 21 goals in all competitions last season, a respectable return by most standards, but FourFourTwo reports he failed to score against all but two of the Premier League's top ten sides. For a striker signed to be the focal point of a title challenger, going blank against the division's best is the kind of stat that invites scrutiny, regardless of the overall goal tally.

The Sporting Pedigree Hasn't Translated

Gyokeres arrived at Emirates Stadium with a genuinely elite scoring record, netting 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting before his move. That ratio made him one of the most feared strikers in Europe outside the traditional superclubs, and it is precisely why Arsenal moved so decisively and paid such a substantial fee for him.

The jump to the Premier League has proven trickier. Beyond the raw scoring numbers, the report highlights concerns about his all-round game, specifically his struggles to hold up play and bring teammates into the attack, an area where predecessor Kai Havertz has consistently excelled despite his own inconsistent goal returns up front.

Gyokeres has faced big critics, and failed to win over swathes of the Emirates Stadium faithful.

A System Mismatch, Not Necessarily a Talent Problem

The suggestion from FourFourTwo is that if Alvarez arrives and plays from the left, he would work better alongside a genuine target man, a role Gyokeres has shown he isn't suited to within Arteta's structure. That's a tactical critique as much as a form one, and it matters for how bettors and fans should read the speculation: this isn't necessarily about Gyokeres failing, but about whether he's the right profile for what Arteta is building.

Julian Alvarez, Simeone's Denial, and a Credibility Problem

Here's where the story gets complicated. Arsenal are reportedly focusing on Alvarez after a failed attempt to sign Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr, according to FourFourTwo, with the same report noting Atletico Madrid have reciprocal interest in taking Gyokeres off Arsenal's hands.

Atletico's Manager Says Otherwise

The problem is that Atletico's own head coach has publicly shut the door. Diego Simeone has stated plainly that Alvarez is going nowhere, telling reporters

“The club has made a decision”

This is the credibility gap readers should keep front of mind. Arsenal's interest in Alvarez may well be genuine, transfer pursuits often continue despite public denials, but a flat statement from the player's own manager is a meaningful counterweight to any suggestion a deal is close.

Kaua Elias: The Name Behind Arsenal's Long-Term Plan

If the Alvarez links carry some weight given Arsenal's known pattern of chasing elite forwards, the Elias story is considerably thinner. FourFourTwo's report traces the claim back to Sport Witness, which in turn cites TNT Sports as the originating source, a chain of attribution worth noting for anyone treating this as more than speculative interest.

Who Is Kaua Elias?

For most Arsenal supporters, the Brazilian forward is an unfamiliar name. He plays his club football at Shakhtar Donetsk, and the report describes him as cut from similar cloth to Havertz, with his physical frame praised and a profile suited to a supplementary squad role rather than a marquee, headline centre-forward signing.

That distinction matters. Arsenal already added Christos Tzolis this summer in a similar vein, a player who may end up as backup to a bigger-name wide option rather than a starter. Elias appears to fit that same category: a squad-depth addition and long-term project, not an immediate replacement for a £55m striker.

No Rush to Move Gyokeres On

Notably, FourFourTwo's own reporting states Arsenal would only entertain a particularly significant offer for Gyokeres and are in no rush to sell, with Arteta said to value the mentality and work ethic the former Coventry City forward brings. That caveat undercuts any narrative of an imminent departure and points instead to a club stockpiling options rather than actively offloading its title-winning striker.

A Wider Rebuild: Romero Links Show Arsenal's Ambition Beyond Attack

The Gyokeres succession plan doesn't exist in isolation. Arsenal have also been linked with Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero, a story that, if anything, is even more provocative given the north London rivalry at stake.

An Open Door at Spurs?

According to ESPN, Romero is reportedly open to joining Tottenham's fiercest rivals, while CaughtOffside describes the Argentine centre-back as “very open” to the move despite the reputational risk, noting he has made 156 appearances for Spurs since joining in 2021.

There's a competing wrinkle here too. CaughtOffside also reports, citing Fabrizio Romano, that Atletico Madrid are preparing a fresh bid for Romero once their Molina and Almada exits are finalised, meaning Arsenal wouldn't necessarily have a clear run even if the player is genuinely open to the switch.

• Gyokeres: £55m signing, 21 goals last season, replacement links emerging after just one year
• Alvarez: Arsenal's reported top target, but Simeone insists he's staying
• Elias: Long-term, lower-profile squad option via a multi-step source chain
• Romero: Reportedly open to a rival move, but facing separate Atletico interest

Taken together, the pattern is less about panic over one underperforming striker and more about Arteta pursuing wholesale squad upgrades across multiple positions, having just won the title but still hunting for the depth to defend it on multiple fronts.

What Happens Next

Nothing in this chain of reports is close to confirmed. The Elias link rests on secondary sourcing through Sport Witness and TNT Sports, the Alvarez pursuit is directly contradicted by Simeone's public comments, and the Romero saga now involves a potential Atletico hijack alongside the Arsenal interest.

What is verifiable is Gyokeres' underlying record against top-ten opposition and the scale of Arsenal's outlay on him barely a year ago, both of which explain why any replacement chatter gains traction even without a confirmed deal attached. Expect Arsenal's business over the remainder of the window, particularly whether they firm up interest in Alvarez or Romero with actual bids, to tell us far more than any long-term scouting link to a Shakhtar forward most fans have never heard of.

For now, Gyokeres remains Arsenal's starting No.9, and the club insists it would take a substantial offer to change that. Bettors weighing his goalscorer markets should note the gap between reported transfer chatter and any concrete move remains wide.