For what feels like years, Arsenal have been on the hunt for elite-level attacking talents to help complete Mikel Arteta’s puzzle in his quest for success.

The Spaniard has invested huge funds into the senior ranks over recent years, subsequently allowing the Gunners to end their two-decade wait for a Premier League title last term.

Despite the success, the hierarchy were desperately hunting to land a leading European powerhouse in attacking areas - but Christos Tzolis ended up being the only senior forward arrival.

The Greek international has made an immediate impact at the Emirates, as seen by his tally of four assists in five outings, and will be hoping to sustain his success unlike Viktor Gyökeres.

Why Gyokeres has been a waste of money for Arsenal

A new talisman was top of Arteta’s shopping last summer, with Sporting Director Andrea Berta handing him Gyokeres to help him in his quest for silverware in North London.

Undoubtedly, the move generated needed excitement within the fanbase at the Emirates, and who can blame them after the Swede netted 54 goals in 52 games during his final year at Sporting CP.

However, after a year of being on the books in North London, it’s evident that the 28-year-old is not at the level needed for the club to develop into a European powerhouse.

Whilst he netted 14 top-flight goals last term, Arteta has since dropped the striker from his starting eleven and has failed to start in any of the club’s first three league outings of 2026/27.

In fact, Gyokeres has only featured for 12 minutes in total during the current Premier League campaign, with Kai Havertz seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order.

He was handed a rare start in the Champions League last night, but he could only muster nine touches of the ball in his 73-minute display - with substitute Havertz registering more in just 17 minutes.

£63m for a player who has struggled as much as the Swede has proved to be terrible business for the Gunners, who are still desperately on the hunt for added reinforcements in such an area.

Arsenal star is becoming a bigger disaster than Gyokeres

Spending big-money on new additions certainly does not guarantee success, as seen with Arsenal who have had to wait a generation to secure their latest league title.

The Gunners certainly haven’t made the most of their big-money investments, with the likes of Nicolas Pepe and Shkodran Mustafi undoubtedly failing to deliver.

Gyokeres is certainly edging ever closer to falling into such a category, but it appears as though he could be joined by fellow summer 2025 addition Eberechi Eze.

The Englishman arrived from Crystal Palace for a reported £67.5m last window, with the hope he could end the hierarchy’s hunt for another elite-level attacker.

However, his first season at the Emirates was certainly a struggle, as he only started 22 games and netted seven goals - four of which came against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur. He has notably been criticised for his nonchalance, something that led Arsenal writer and content creator Connor Humm to suggest that Eze "walks around like Mesut Ozil." It's a pity his performance levels are not as high as the legendary German's.

In 2026/27, Eze has also struggled for game time during the opening stages of the season, subsequently making just two substitute appearances in the league.

Such outings have totalled just 59 minutes, with the attacking midfielder unable to create a single chance for his teammates during either of the cameos.

However, he did start the recent Champions League clash against Napoli, but failed to take advantage of the opportunity handed his way by Arteta - as seen by his underlying stats.

Eze failed to complete any of the two dribbles, whilst being unable to direct his shot on target - subsequently being unable to provide the goods within attacking areas of the pitch.

He also was outfought by the opposition in Naples on Wednesday night, which saw the 28-year-old lose out in 67% of the ground duels he entered during the triumph.

Such a game was arguably one of his final opportunities to showcase his talent to Arteta and stake his claim for a regular starting role this campaign.

It’s safe to say he failed to do that during the win, with the likes of Tzolis and Martin Odegaard now firmly ahead of the Englishman in the pecking order.

He and Gyokeres will likely have to settle for a place on the bench for the remainder of the campaign, with their combined £130m transfer fees looking to be a complete waste of money.