Viktor Gyökeres is finally hitting the form Arsenal needed him to be in

Viktor Gyökeres has enjoyed a stellar start to 2026 as it has seen him finally hit the form Arsenal badly needed him to be in.

The Swede netted twice in the Gunners' 3-0 victory over Sunderland to take his tally across all competitions for the calendar year to six and his season total to 13. His double against the Black Cats saw him continue the bright patch of form he currently finds himself in.

He has been subject to plenty of criticism for his inconsistency in front of goal since making the move to North London last summer, but he looks to finally be hitting a spell where he is proving himself to be a more than worthy asset.

Viktor Gyökeres is finally hitting the form Arsenal needed him to be in

With his six strikes, Gyökeres, joint with Brentford's Igor Thiago, currently has the most goals of any Premier League player in all competitions. This good run of form has seen him has seen him outscore the likes of Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo and Hugo Ekitike.

The Sweden international has appeared in 10 of the 11 games Arsenal have played in the opening month or so of 2026, allowing him to finally find the form his side require to be in.

When he signed from Sporting for an initial fee of £55million in the 2025 summer transfer window, there were high expectations for Gyökeres to be the man to complete a Gunners side that lacked a deadly and reliable goalscoring striker.

54 goals in 52 games in his final campaign with the Primeira Liga saw the Swede put himself among Europe's most prolific strikers. He left Lisbon having netted 97 times in 102 appearances, leading to many thinking he would continue at least some of that form after making the switch to the Premier League.

However, there is no denying Gyökeres struggled in the first few months of his Arsenal career as inconsistency in front of goal and a short-term injury meant he was unable to replicate the form that saw him lead Sporting to the Portugeuse title.

There were plenty of positive signs in his play, but just seven goals in his first 22 games led to many, arguably very unfairly, labelling him a flop due to not immediately showing his prolific ability in front of goal.

With Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz returning from injury, it was reaching the point where Gyökeres really needed to find form or he faced the risk of being displaced as his side's starting striker, and he has done just that.

With six goals in 11 games so far this year, it does look like he has finally hit the form Arsenal have needed him to be in for much of this season. There is no going back to change the inconsistencies of the campaign's first-half, but if he can keep this run of finding the back of the net going, Gyökeres will be a crucial asset for the Gunners as they look to finally end their 22-year wait to win the Premier League title.