Victor Goqueres has outperformed Premier League rivals Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike but must prove he is still at the top after his North London derby double
Victor Gokeres determined to show his quality in an Arsenal shirt
Victor Gökeres has an unwavering belief. That’s probably a good thing, as there have been plenty of doubts about the £64m striker since joining Arsenal.
But now, Gökeres’ mental strength, determination and single-mindedness seem to be paying off, and he is showing signs of improvement.
Gokeres has scored 15 goals in 36 games in all competitions, meaning he has a better record than big summer signings such as Joao Pedro and Hugo Ekitike.
The Swede continued to outscore all of his Premier League rivals in 2026, and his two-goal performance in the North London derby was testament to the improved performance of the team as a whole.
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But that being said, the jury is still out on the striker who developed from Brighton, spent time at Coventry and then had a prolific time at Sporting Lisbon.
Gokeres sometimes seems unwieldy, too heavy and too slow, but when you sign with Arsenal and play alongside elite players, you are judged by a very high standard.
They create more opportunities. Arsenal boast a squad full of technical players, with the likes of Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka looking more refined and skilled.
Despite his teammates saying he distracts defenders, Gokeres barely touches the ball in the game and sometimes feels like he has little impact.
But you can’t just provide hard work if you’re not holding the ball to get other players into the game. That’s not enough.
Victor Gokeres’ mask celebration (Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
That was his game for Tottenham in a nutshell. Former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon also told the BBC that Gokeres was both his hero and the villain of the weekend.
The performance in the first half was a villain as nothing stuck and everything came back with a frustrating display.
Herro was because he continued on, scoring twice in the second half and adding a deft flick in the build-up to add to the lead. He has great strength and power, as well as a hammer-like shot.
It’s all gookeless. When he injured his hamstring against Burnley at the start of the season, he took some time to get fit and started to improve.
He felt like he was back at square one. It took him a while to find his groove again, but his goal statistics speak for themselves, even if he will never become a polished striker in the club’s best tradition of superstars like Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.
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The problem for Arsenal was that the team needed a refined, classy striker and someone who could both score and perform.
Other strikers look better, move better and are better overall, so Gokeres will need more games like the second half at Tottenham to prove his true worth.
He is a quiet guy on the training ground, but people are impressed by his mentality, which perhaps stems from his early days when he struggled to prove himself at the likes of Brighton.
That could serve him well at Arsenal and maybe he’ll come out at the other end. But he shouldn’t be judged on his second 45 minutes at Tottenham. He should be judged on whether he can maintain that kind of performance.
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