Viktor Gyokeres forces immediate Arsenal change after Man Utd and Liverpool targets rejected

After one of the longest transfer sagas of the summer, Arsenal settled on Viktor Gyokeres as the new man to lead their attack. But the Swede's arrival has forced the Gunners into tweaking their tactics compared to seasons past.

Both Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, a target for Liverpool, and RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, who is wanted by Manchester United, were assessed for the role. However, Arsenal eventually opted to sign Gyokeres from Sporting CP in a deal potentially rising to £63.5million.

On paper, the signing finally gives the Gunners the more archetypal No. 9 presence they've lacked for some time. Gabriel Jesus appeared to solve this issue following his 2022 arrival before the extent of his injury issues became apparent, while Kai Havertz prefers to operate deeper when playing as a centre forward.

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The same is true of former targets Isak and Sesko, each of whom are slightly taller than Gyokeres and put those frames to different use. And ESPN reported on how Arsenal are planning to modify the way they attack in order to facilitate their latest big-money acquisition.

The Gunners are said to have 'acknowledged internally' that they will have to adapt their style' in order to suit Gyokeres. Havertz, who played primarily as a centre forward last term prior to injury, often likes to drop deep and link up play but Gyokeres is a different profile of player.

Instead, the new signing will be encouraged to run in behind as much as possible and get behind enemy centre-backs, as he did to such great success in Portugal. However, this won't necessarily mean more long-ball tactics, but simply more of a focus on getting the ball upfield quicker.

Arsenal had considered other forwards before pulling the trigger on Gyokeres, including Isak, who has been a target since before he signed for Newcastle. The report adds that Arsenal did not pursue a deal this summer due to concerns over his price tag and whether his fitness record made his signing too big a risk.

Liverpool are understood to have had an offer of £110m plus add-ons for the Swede rejected, with rumours abound that Newcastle want £150m if they're to sell the player this summer.

Arsenal supposedly saw this as a determining factor in why they signed 27-year-old Gyokeres, who scored 97 goals in 102 outings for Sporting across the past two seasons. And that consistency in Lisbon also played a role in turning Mikel Arteta's attention away from Leipzig frontman Sesko.

It's believed the 22-year-old's lack of top-flight experience worked against him when compared to other targets. The same report claims that the player's valuation, which is believed to be similar to Gyokeres', was considered 'expensive for a player of Sesko's largely untapped potential,' having also struggled for consistency at times since joining the Bundesliga.

Gyokeres, who debuted in a pre-season friendly defeat to Tottenham, found much of his success at Sporting playing off defenders' shoulders and getting in behind. As such, giving the former Coventry and Brighton forward the tools to succeed as hoped will require some change at the Emirates Stadium.

Last season saw the likes of Havertz and Mikel Merino, neither of whom are natural strikers, lead the line with varying degrees of success. And given their roots in midfield, both players proved more comfortable coming back to function as links for other players.

On the face of things, a finishing force like Gyokeres has the potential to take Arsenal to that next level and finally get their hands on Premier League silverware. However, the sudden adjustment from a blueprint that has catapulted Arteta's side back into the European spotlight these past few seasons could also lead to complications elsewhere in the team.