Victor Diekeresh's career at the Emirates could come to an unexpected halt. Recent reports indicate that the Swedish forward has made a firm decision to leave Arsenal in the upcoming January transfer window.
In the summer of 2025, the London club invested around £64 million in acquiring the striker from Lisbon's Sporting. Diekeresh's stats in Portugal were jaw-dropping, boasting 97 goals in 102 official matches. The transfer was meant to be the solution to the club's attacking troubles, although the expectations have only been partially fulfilled.
During his debut season, Diekeresh found the net 21 times across all competitions but regularly encountered difficulties against tougher opposition. Unfortunately for the Swede, this season has been even tougher; he has lost his place to Kai Havertz, who has become one of Arsenal's key and most consistent performers. Diekeresh has failed to capitalise on the chances he’s been given to shine.
According to TEAMtalk, two primary reasons are driving Diekeresh's desire to exit:
Firstly, he has not featured in a single league start this season. Sources reveal that a catastrophic lack of minutes has become the main catalyst for his wish to find a new club.
Moreover, a lengthy transfer saga surrounding Arsenal's interest in Argentine forward Julian Alvarez has led Diekeresh to seriously doubt his future at the club. Despite Alvarez's transfer not yet materialising, the Gunners remain keen on securing his services. This prioritisation sends a clear signal to Diekeresh that the hierarchy doesn’t view him as a long-term attacking leader.
Arsenal are not inclined to forcibly keep unhappy players and are prepared to sanction his departure, provided they can secure a replacement forward first. The club believes that a January exit could benefit both parties if they successfully bolster their attacking options.
Meanwhile, former Arsenal player Jeremy Alliard has publicly defended the under-fire striker, highlighting the stylistic challenges within the London side:
This is a tricky situation. It’s commonly believed that to succeed, you need a striker scoring 30 goals a season, but Arsenal proved last year that this isn’t necessarily the case. Kai Havertz has made a great start to this season, and I think the team’s style, focusing on wing play and the active use of wingers, may not suit the type of forward fans demand. It was great to see Victor Diekeresh back on the pitch last weekend. He scored some really important goals last season and probably didn’t get the recognition he deserved.
