Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit has explained why he doesn’t think Viktor Gyokeres is “welcome anymore” at the Premier League giants.

Gyokeres joined Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon for around £64m in the summer 2025 transfer window.

The Gunners splashed out on Gyokeres as an apparent fix for their striker issues after he scored 97 goals in 102 appearances, but he has flattered to deceive at the Emirates.

Gyokeres scored 21 goals in all competitions last season, but he often struggled against stronger opposition and has fallen behind Kai Havertz in the pecking order this term.

“That was a clear message to Gyokeres that he’s not welcome anymore…”

This has fuelled reports linking Gyokeres with a potential exit from Arsenal in the coming months, and club legend Petit thinks he is now “not welcome” at the club.

“He’s not the priority in the pecking order,” Petit told Betfred.

“I think he’s lost confidence and you can see that.

“He’s not the only one actually; [Eberechi] Eze for example against Forest looked nervous. They’re all competing to earn their place in the first team and the competition is high when you consider the quality they have in the squad.

“Gyokeres knows that he’s not the first priority and it will be difficult for him to play in some very important matches.

“We can see that he’s lost confidence and we don’t know what his future will be at Arsenal and the club looked at strikers in the transfer market and for me, that was a clear message to Gyokeres that he’s not welcome anymore.”

Former Premier League forward Djibril Cisse, meanwhile, has shed light on why he thinks Gyokeres has struggled at Arsenal.

“He was in Portugal dominating the league,’ Cisse told Mr Gamble.

“You arrive in a more physical league with far more intensity, and you have to adapt to that. It can take a year or two. He has to keep working.

“Arsenal are a team that play football, and when you’re not at the level technically, it shows, because everyone is very, very technical, just like their coach.

“But he’s also someone who has scored goals. You can’t forget that he’s a goalscorer. A goalscorer never loses it. It disappears sometimes but it comes back.”