Viktor Gyokeres was handed a start by Mikel Arteta in the home clash with Everton today but it’s safe to say he was far from impressive.

Gyokeres did bag himself an assist for the opener from Ezri Konsa but aside from that, there seemed to very little in the way of eye-catching play from the Swede.

Of course, this is a theme in recent times for Gyokeres and Arsenal. The £67m has struggled to get going all season, despite his impressive form on the international scene with Sweden.

Indeed, judging the first-half performance of Gyokeres, former Chelsea and Celtic striker Chris Sutton offered a brutal verdict on the Arsenal forward.

Chris Sutton sums up Viktor Gyokeres in one word

Make no mistake about it, Viktor Gyokeres is becoming a bit of a problem for Arsenal this season.

Despite the obvious work he puts into things and his willingness to compete and do well, he is simply lacking the quality needed this season to really help the Gunners.

And now, after being handed the start v Everton, Chris Sutton has summed things up perfectly.

“It’s been a little scrappy, they got the goal from a set piece. I think that’s their first set piece goal of the season,” Sutton said on BBC comms.

“Everton came back into the game and Arsenal will want another to try and put this game to bed. Viktor Gyokeres has started, he’s been pretty ineffective but it’s just about grinding it out and winning the games. They’re ahead, where they want to be, it’s just about seeing it through.”

Quite what the solution is for Gyokeres right now, is for Mikel Arteta and the player himself to work out.

But right now, with Arsenal having injuries to key players like Saka and Tzolis in attacking areas, he simply needs to be offering more to the cause. His first season last year ended up being a good one but this second one – so far anyway – looks like being everything many Arsenal fans feared when he signed.

Ultimately, the time is now for Gyokeres to show he’s up to the task and help the Gunners through a tricky winter period.