Arteta could leave Gokeres and Havertz on the bench and unleash Arsenal’s unique Ekitike

With a seven-point lead in the Premier League summit, Arsenal’s victory at the Amex in midweek ensured that this intriguing title race remained in their hands.

After three successive 2nd place finishes, the Gunners are arguably the most dominant and consistent force in the division in the 2025/26 season, and it looks like the bridesmaid is ready to become the bride.

However, despite what seemed like a game-changing statement at the time, summer signing Victor Goqueres was not a key player in their title bid, despite leading the club with 10 league goals so far.

The £63.5m Swede looked clearly off the pace, especially against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday night, leaving Mikel Arteta with real food for thought ahead of a crucial stage of the season.

Gokeres & Havertz vs Brighton comparison

There’s no denying that Gokeres has looked much more threatening in recent weeks and months, particularly threatening Tottenham Hotspur’s Radu Dragusin in the North London derby not too long ago.

However, against his former club, the former Sporting CP star endured a full-blown regression as he was unable to stick a knife into the team and was sent off without playing a single league game on the south coast.

The 27-year-old, who was hooked with an hour left, was comically inept against the Seagulls, losing the ball 13 times from just 20 touches and boasting a dismal passing accuracy of 47%.

He also failed to win any of his eight encounters, failing to register a single shot before being sent off in the second half, making his substitution well-deserved and such was his performance.

Indeed, the arrival of fellow forward Kai Havertz was a welcome sight, as the German was such a beautiful and talented footballer, even though he wasn’t necessarily a full-fledged orthodox striker.

Although he doesn’t have the speed and power of Gokeres, Havertz puts it all together much more impressively, with two shots from 20 touches despite losing the ball nine times.

He was also excellent defensively, but his late cameo, winning five duels and two fouls, served as a reminder of what Arteta had been missing for much of the previous season.

With League One side Mansfield next on the FA Cup agenda, the Gunners manager could indeed take a different route to freshen up his front line.

Arteta could unlock Arsenal’s answer to Ekitike

With Gökeres likely in need of rest and Havertz unlikely to risk playing against lower-league opponents, the obvious replacement would be Gabriel Jesus, who will face Nigel Clough’s side.

However, there is still a feeling that the Brazilian’s best work will come from the wing, as he did during his time at Manchester City, and the 29-year-old’s short-lived resurgence has stalled in recent weeks.

Instead, Arteta could rotate his squad and use the opportunity to bring academy striker Andre Harriman-Anous into the squad, with the 18-year-old having scored two goals in his last three games at Under-21 Premier League level.

He has only played two senior games this season, against Slavia Prague and Brighton, but was particularly memorable against Fabian Hürzeler’s side in the EFL Cup.

Unleashed from the start, the teenager touched the ball just 16 times in 77 minutes, but lost the ball just twice, made one important pass and missed one ‘big chance’.

Harriman-Annus has not played since making a late Champions League cameo in November, but as far as Arteta is concerned, he may be worth another look. Saturday could be a great chance to further increase his chances at the top.

Although he is only 18, the England youth star is already highly rated, with one prominent analyst suggesting he has “shades of (Alexander) Isaac and (Hugo) Ekitike”.

The Liverpool pairing was on Arsenal’s agenda for the summer even before the signing of Gokeres, with Ekitike enjoying a particularly productive first season at Anfield, scoring 11 league goals so far.

Like Ekitike, Arsenal’s Hale End star has impressive physique considering his youth, yet is blessed with blistering speed and is capable of playing either centrally or on the left.

Of course, when it comes to Arteta, throwing him into contention this weekend could backfire, but these could be valuable minutes for Harriman-Annas as they still need to find a long-term solution at centre-forward.