Viktor Gyokeres reported to want Arsenal exit in January

Unconfirmed, and already overtaken in part: TEAMtalk reported on 17 October that Viktor Gyokeres would push for a January exit from Arsenal because he had not started a league game. A week later, he started one.

Who says what

TEAMtalk's exclusive says the 28-year-old striker is frustrated by his lack of starts and by Arsenal's pursuit of Julian Alvarez in the summer. It names Atletico Madrid as an interested club. The Sunday Mirror, via Sky Sports' paper review, also has him keen to leave for lack of first-team chances.

TEAMtalk's report rests on unnamed sources, with nothing on the record, so treat the motive with care. The minutes were real at the time. Sportsmole put his league playing time at 59 minutes on 17 October, with Kai Havertz preferred up front and Mikel Merino the other option.

Ben Jacobs, via Football365, said the opposite in September, before any of this. "I would be surprised if that is in a winter market when he still has value to the squad," he said, while adding that Arsenal would not stand in his way for the right offer.

What has changed

On 24 October Mikel Arteta gave Gyokeres his first league start of the campaign, against Everton, ahead of Havertz. Arsenal won 2-0, and Khel Now credits him with the assist for Ezri Konsa's opener. Sportsmole says he had also set up Declan Rice's equaliser at Bayern Munich in midweek.

What the player says

Gyokeres spoke on Sweden duty, before the report, and did not shut the door. FourFourTwo quotes him: "Of course, you expect more playing time." He also said that staying in the summer was a given and that he is extremely happy at the club.

What is not known

None of these reports has a club making an offer. Football Insider says Arsenal want to recoup what they paid, and that a deal looks more likely at the end of the season than in January. Fee figures vary: Sportsmole puts the signing at £64m, Football Insider says £55m.

The read

Arsenal are the champions, after winning the title for the first time in 22 years, and they let Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli leave in the summer, per Sportsmole. Selling another forward in mid-season only works if the replacement is already in the building. My lean is that this is a summer story dressed up as a January one, and one start has made the January version weaker still.