Mikel Arteta's huge Viktor Gyokeres decision emerges after disappointing debut in Man Utd win

Mikel Arteta has already made what could be a hugely controversial call on Viktor Gyokeres, and it may have left two other Arsenal players disappointed.

Gyokeres, 27, signed for Arsenal from Sporting CP in a deal worth up to £64m earlier this summer and made his competitive debut during the Gunners’ 1-0 away win against Manchester United on Sunday (August 17).

The Swede started the match and played for an hour before being replaced by Kai Havertz on Sunday.

And his performance was not particularly impressive according to the stats. According to SofaScore, the forward covered 7.8km and had 12 sprints - clocking in at 31.4 km/h.

He also had just 21 touches, with only three in the penalty area, while he also lost possession on 11 occasions. Gyokeres also completed just four of nine passes.

Gyokeres’ fellow summer signings, Noni Madueke and Martin Zubimendi, also made their first competitive appearances for Arteta’s side, but according to the Arsenal boss, the trio are “still not at the highest level physically”.

Viktor Gyokeres had a difficult debut in the Premier League against Man Utd (Credit:Getty)

Of course, Arteta is backing his new number 14 and given his goalscoring record in recent years, there’s no reason to panic.

On Tuesday, a report from Swedish outlet Sportbladet claimed that Arteta has decided to make Gyokeres his side’s designated penalty taker, replacing Bukayo Saka. The outlet suggested that the decision was made before the start of the Premier League season.

Saka, 23, or captain Martin Odegaard will likely still take penalties if the Sweden international is not on the pitch.

Bukayo Saka was Arsenal's penalty taker last season (Credit:Getty)

So how does Gyokeres’ record from the spot compare to his teammates’?

Saka has scored 14 out of 17 penalties in his career with a strike rate of 82% while Gyokeres has netted 34 times from 12 yards, having missed just four, with a success rate of 89%.

The 27-year-old striker scored a high-pressure spot kick in stoppage time of Sporting’s eventual 3-1 victory over Benfica in the Taca de Portugal final, which sent the game to extra time.

Odegaard has scored four of his five attempted penalties, having seen his penalty saved by Altay Bayindir during Arsenal’s FA Cup fourth-round defeat against Man United earlier this year.