Mikel Arteta warned against 'mistake' as Arsenal face £64m transfer dilemma over Viktor Gyokeres

Former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere has warned the club against selling Viktor Gyokeres during the January transfer window. Despite the Swedish forward falling behind Kai Havertz in the pecking order, Aliadiere believes a premature exit could leave Mikel Arteta dangerously short of attacking options.

Aliadiere has warned Arsenal against offloading Gyokeres during the upcoming January transfer window. The Swedish forward produced an excellent performance in midweek, registering a crucial goal and an assist to help the Gunners beat Slavia Prague 2-1 in the Champions League.

Despite his recent European heroics, Gyokeres has endured a deeply frustrating few months in north London. The striker has started just one Premier League match for Arteta’s side so far this season, spending the majority of his time on the bench.

Gyokeres enjoyed a stellar maiden campaign after arriving from Sporting CP for £64 million, scoring a highly respectable 21 goals across all competitions. However, he has now fallen firmly behind German international Kai Havertz in the Arsenal pecking order.

With the January window rapidly approaching, pundits including Micah Richards have suggested that Arsenal should cash in on the 28-year-old. Aliadiere strongly disagrees with this risky approach. The former Gunner believes a winter sale could severely backfire on Arteta and derail their domestic campaign.

"I think it’s all depending on the finances, how much they can get for him and who to replace him with," Aliadiere told Metro. "Because I think as much as obviously he’s not in the top 11 now because Havertz is preferred number one, you don’t want to sell him, get a good price and not be able to replace him.

"If Havertz gets injured, which obviously we’ve seen in the past – he’s had a few injuries and he can pick up injuries – you just end up with no striker at all."

Even if Arsenal choose to retain Gyokeres, Aliadiere doubts the forward will become the ultimate solution to the club's striking issues. He feels the current tactical setup simply does not suit the Sweden international's specific skill set.

"I just feel the way Arsenal plays does not quite suit Gyokeres’ style of play," Aliadiere added via football betting. "I still feel that he does some amazing work, but I just do feel that the players don’t really give him the ball quick enough, which is what he needs."

Arsenal must now navigate a highly complicated January transfer window to balance their attacking depth. For now, Gyokeres will have to settle for limited minutes and cameo appearances under Arteta. Unless he can drastically adapt to Arsenal's possession-based style, the £64m man appears destined to remain a rotation player at the Emirates.