Piers Morgan claims Viktor Gyokeres feels ‘disrespected’ at Arsenal and was effectively told to leave during the summer transfer window.
Gyokeres, who joined Arsenal in the summer of 2025 for £64m, got his first minutes of the new season as a late substitute in Sunday’s win over Chelsea.
The Sweden international failed to feature in Arsenal’s first two games and Morgan claims Gyokeres was ‘deliberately benched’ in a bid to get him out of the club.
Arsenal expressed interest in signing Julian Alvarez over the summer and it was reported that a possible swap deal involving Gyokeres could be on the cards.
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Morgan says he was ‘told on good authority’ that Arsenal did indeed intend to sell Gyokeres if they could agree a deal with Atletico Madrid for Alvarez.
But Alvarez had reservations about returning to the Premier League and had his heart set on a move to La Liga rivals Barcelona, something Atletico immediately vetoed.
As a result the Argentine World Cup winner stayed in Madrid and Gyokeres remained at the Emirates Stadium, where he faces an uncertain future and the prospect of limited game-time.
‘Viktor Gyokeres has hardly had a kick since the season started and I was told on good authority that he was being deliberately benched,’ Morgan said on Sports Uncensored.
‘Arsenal were going to try and trade him for Julian Alvarez and in the end they couldn’t make that deal happen.
‘I was told that Gyokeres is p****d off about the way he’s been treated and feels he’s been disrespected.
‘I think that’s undeniable but that it also shows the ruthless streak of Mikel Arteta which many Arsenal fans are quite happy to see.
‘I’m told Arsenal are bracing to go back into the market for a new striker in January. They’re going to go back in during the January window and get someone.’
Morgan, who was on the pitch after Arsenal’s Premier League trophy lift back in May, also claims the Gunners ‘thought’ they were set to sign Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid.
Arteta was interested in a stunning deal for the Brazil icon but Vinicius ended up signing a contract extension at the Spanish giants.
‘I’m told Arsenal thought they had Vinicius Junior who would have been brilliant for us,’ the broadcaster added.
‘What I do know is Arsenal thought they had him and thought they had him until the day before he signed a new contract at Real Madrid.’
Arsenal came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday and maintain their perfect start to the season.
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