Mikel Arteta’s preference is clear. When Kai Havertz is available, he is the striker the Arsenal manager trusts.
At his best, it is easy to understand why. Havertz brings others into the game, presses intelligently and works relentlessly. He can occupy centre-backs, drop into midfield or drift into a channel, helping Arsenal connect their play and create opportunities for others.
But Arsenal cannot build their attacking plans around the assumption that this version of Havertz will always turn up.
He cannot play every minute, and his performances have not been consistent enough to make his selection unquestionable. At Villa and Brighton away, and again against Leeds at the weekend, he was ineffective for long periods.
With at least 18 games before the January window opens, Arteta needs more from the forwards already at his disposal. Any opportunity to address the gaps left in the summer remains months away. By then, a substantial part of Arsenal’s title defence will have been played.
That makes unlocking Viktor Gyökeres an immediate priority.
We saw his best football last season when he found a rhythm. With Havertz fit, he is unlikely to start every game, but a schedule featuring two matches almost every week offers an obvious opportunity to involve both. One start each per week, where appropriate, could give Gyökeres continuity while keeping Havertz fresh and at his best.
At present, the impression is that Arteta sees him primarily as an emergency option. That is an unsatisfactory role for a player whose running power and goalscoring instincts offer something different from the rest of this squad - a squad lacking in just that.
By no means am I pretending Gyökeres is the complete centre-forward. His technical limitations can be severe. A poor first touch can derail a move, while his combinations under pressure sometimes lack the precision Arsenal need. His performance against Ipswich was simply not good enough. He has a responsibility to improve and give Arteta more reasons to trust him.
But Arsenal knew the type of striker they were buying. The coaching challenge is to create an attack that benefits from his strengths while reducing how often his weaknesses become exposed.
Gyökeres wants to threaten the shoulders of defenders, attack space and arrive in goalscoring positions. His four goals in four appearances for Sweden during the international break show those instincts remain intact. International football presents different challenges, but Arsenal should still be asking why they are getting so little from a player capable of producing so much elsewhere.
With outstanding goalscorers scarce across Europe, shelving him because the fit has proved difficult would be a waste and its also not an option for at least 18 more games.
The players around him are central to finding a solution. Too often last season, Arsenal fielded a Martinelli–Gyökeres–Madueke front three that offered pace and directness without enough connective play. All three wanted to attack the goal, but there was insufficient control and creativity to bring those threats together.
If the striker struggles with intricate combinations, he needs teammates who can provide that quality. Someone must receive under pressure, draw defenders out and recognise when to release the ball. Otherwise, Gyökeres spends too much time wrestling with centre-backs while Arsenal circulate possession around him.
A winger comfortable taking plenty of touches could help manipulate the defence before finding his run. A number ten playing close to him could collect lay-offs and offer immediate support. Earlier passing from midfield could put him into space before opponents settle.
These are adjustments Arteta can make with the players he already has. The partnership I most want revisited is Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze.
Think back to the away North London Derby last season, immediately after the damaging draw at Wolves. They scored twice each in Arsenal’s 4–1 win at Tottenham, offering a glimpse of how dangerous they could be together.
One game does not prove a partnership will work every week, but it provides a strong reason to develop it.
Eze can receive between the lines, retain possession under pressure and turn towards goal. Playing near Gyökeres, he could give the striker a reliable option when he comes short and a supplier when he stays high.
The benefits run both ways. Gyökeres’ movement can drag defenders away and create room for Eze to advance. Eze’s ability to hold the ball can give Gyökeres time to adjust his position before making the decisive run.
I want both to start against Lille, with a clear intention to rebuild that understanding.
Bruno Guimarães could also be important. Arsenal sometimes establish control at the expense of exploiting the first available opening. By the time they look forward, the opposition have retreated and Gyökeres’ opportunity to run behind has disappeared.
Bruno can play a firm pass through midfield or release him into a channel early. Those balls carry risk, but they give the striker a chance to use the physical qualities Arsenal signed him for. His runs need to be recognised often enough that he keeps making them with conviction.
Overlapping full-backs would add another dimension, changing the angle of delivery and creating opportunities for low crosses and cut-backs. Gyökeres, in turn, must vary his movement and attack those deliveries decisively.
Lille should mark the beginning of a more purposeful role for him. Starting alongside Eze would allow Arsenal to prepare around his qualities, rather than introduce him late into a hurried game and hope something happens.
Havertz will remain hugely important, but an inconsistent forward with fitness concerns cannot carry this attack through to January. Arsenal need another striker contributing regularly, with combinations the team understands and trusts.
Arteta has a goalscorer capable of giving his attack a different threat. Getting more from him could be decisive in retaining the title and challenging again for the Champions League.
The work should start against Lille.