Arsenal fans have scapegoated the wrong player for too long

The big games simply keep on coming during this jam-packed January for Arsenal. In their fourth of nine fixtures this month, Mikel Arteta's team will take on Chelsea in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Most key players should be well-rested and raring to go, after Arteta was able to make ten changes for Sunday's 4-1 FA Cup victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park. Gabriel the only player to start both against Liverpool and then by the South Coast too.

Gabriel Jesus led the line while Kai Havertz came off the bench, his first appearance since August. The German suffered a hamstring injury during last season's Carabao Cup semis against Newcastle, before requiring knee surgery following the trip to Old Trafford on the opening weekend, meaning he has been sidelined for almost a year.

This though leads to a key question, both in the short and longer term; who should Arsenal's centre-forward be? Viktor Gyökeres has started each of the last six Premier League matches, but his performances have been widely criticised. This was certainly the case last Thursday, given that he touched the ball only eight times during the frustrating goalless draw with Liverpool, before being hooked in the 64th minute.

The Swedish international scored 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting CP, so arrived in North London with sky-high expectations. While no one expected him to replicate those numbers, his tally of seven goals thus far is pretty underwhelming. In fact, Gyökeres' only goal since netting at Turf Moor on 1 November was a penalty against Everton at Bramley-Moore Dock just before Christmas.

While most expect Gyökeres will lead the line against Chelsea, with Jesus and Havertz back in contention, he may find himself on the bench more frequently than not in the coming weeks. Nevertheless, is the Swede unfairly scapegoated, especially considering another new recruit has not hit the heights either?

Arsenal's summer signing not Viktor Gyökeres who is underperforming

A player who arrived to even more excitement than Gyökeres last summer was Eberechi Eze. The England international's move in August brought about more hype than any move since Mesut Özil joined on deadline day in 2013. Eze was returning home and is a very exciting player supporters already knew, as well as the fact that Andrea Berta had hijacked the deal when he appeared destine for Spurs.

Eze therefore, because that's just how these things work, scored a hat-trick in November's North London derby, the first player to do so for either side since Alan Sunderland in the late '70s. This came after he lashed home his first Premier League goal for the club against, you guessed it, Crystal Palace. The most-recent Arsenal player to bag their first league goal for the club against the team they've just left beforehand was Donald Slade against Lincoln City all the way back in 1914.

Having said all of that, aside from these memorable moments, Eze has not been as impactful as many would've hoped, or indeed anticipated. Martin Ødegaard's sparkling form meant he was an unused substitute in four successive league matches, prior to last Thursday, seeing 12 minutes in that one.

Eze then started at Pompey on Sunday, but did little to stake a claim for more involvement. He registered only 39 touches, was successful with just one of two attempted dribbles and lost possession on eight occasions.

This is not to completely write off Eze, far from it. However, since the defeat at Villa Park, Arteta appears to have decided he cannot play from the left, especially in conjunction with the form of both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.

Thus, Eze is vying for starts through the middle but, the way Ødegaard is playing right now, the captain won't be left out of big matches. Thus, when assessing Gyökeres' performances, it's worth considering he is not the only new recruit who is taking time to adapt to his new surroundings.