Arsenal and Mikel Arteta given clear Viktor Gyokeres warning ahead of Tottenham clash

There is naturally a lot of excitement surrounding the potential debut of Arsenal's new striker, Viktor Gyokeres, this week. The Swede completed his move from Sporting CP in a deal worth €63.5million (£55million) plus €10million (8.7million) in add-ons.

Gyokeres fulfils the desire of millions of fans around the world who have wanted to see Arsenal grab themselves a brand-new centre-forward. Expectations are that the 27-year-old can be the man to take the club to the next level, which, of course, is the Premier League or Champions League titles.

However, there might be a good reason to not risk any players who Mikel Arteta values highly on Thursday when the Gunners take on Tottenham Hotspur. After they have already witnessed Riccardo Calafiori taken off with a tweak, Arteta describes, on Sunday against Newcastle the risks of pre-season revealed themselves.

Furthermore, 15-year-old Max Dowman was treated to a warm Premier League welcome by Newcastle's Joelinton. The Brazilian midfielder was taking no prisoners when the two sides met and sent an arm into the teenager's face.

Thursday is by no means a friendly, considering it is Arsenal against Tottenham, and Cristian Romero still resides in the Spurs squad. There is a genuine thought process behind who should play. Gyokeres is a vitally important part of the Arsenal puzzle this season.

Both Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber are still working their way back from injury. Martin Odegaard is only just finding form again after a difficult season which included a serious ankle injury that cost him around two months of action.

Then there are Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, who both suffered serious hamstring injuries requiring surgery. It might say friendly on paper, but when these two sides meet, even in a non-competitive context, there is an expectation that surrounds both clubs to win the game at any cost.

If that cost is believed to form quite the physical battle, Arteta might want to reconsider just how much he exposes his squad to the rigours of a derby. The worst-case scenario is someone takes things that one step too far at the cost of a player's fitness, with just weeks remaining until the new season officially starts.

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