Gyokeres says he is 'extremely happy' at Arsenal despite summer exit rumours

Striker insists staying was a given after swap links with Atletico

Viktor Gyokeres has moved to quash exit speculation by insisting he is "extremely happy" at Arsenal and wants to fight for his place under Mikel Arteta.

The 28-year-old joined Arsenal last summer and scored 21 goals across 55 appearances as the Gunners won the Premier League and reached the finals of the Champions League and the EFL Cup.

Gyokeres has struggled for minutes in 2026-27 so far, starting on just two of his five appearances across all competitions and failing to register a direct goal contribution. Kai Havertz has been Arteta's preferred option this term and scored three goals in seven games before picking up an injury while on international duty with Germany.

The Sweden international was linked with a move away in the summer, with reports suggesting Arsenal were willing to include him in a swap deal for Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez.

"Of course, there was a lot of speculation," Gyokeres said. "But I had a full pre-season, and it felt good."

"I was fully focused on Arsenal. For me, staying was a given. I'm extremely happy at the club."

"It's clear that I want to play football as much as possible. Hopefully that will come, too. You always want to be on the field as a football player."

"Of course, you expect more playing time, but we have an extremely good squad with a lot of good players and have been doing well here at the start."

"I obviously need to do better and I'm willing to do it, so it's no problem. It's good [the dialogue with the coach]. I just try to do well when I get the chance and score goals."

Gyokeres is on international duty with Sweden, where he has scored twice in as many Nations League matches. He is set to feature against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania before Arsenal face Leeds United on October 10.