Arsenal: The loss to the fourth-division club will have major consequences—two major Italian clubs are ready to take advantage of the situation
Arsenal’s shocking defeat in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup at the hands of Fleetwood Town (1-1 after regulation time, 5-3 on penalties for the Fishermen) risks having far-reaching consequences beyond just the sporting result. At an already difficult time for Viktor Gyokeres—who, despite scoring his first goal of the season for the Gunners in the debacle against the League Two side—the London club may in fact accelerate its deliberations regarding the Swedish player ahead of the January transfer window.
The former Sporting striker, who arrived in the summer of 2025 after lengthy negotiations and was hailed as the center forward destined to battle Manchester City’s Erling Haaland for the top spot on the scoring charts, is having a difficult 2026–2027 season. As TeamTalk reported in recent days, manager Mikel Arteta will not stand in the way of a transfer should offers come in this winter, having already established the new attacking hierarchy for this season.
Gyokeres himself is considering the possibility of a transfer, even on loan. His dissatisfaction stems not only from reduced playing time but also from the feeling that he is no longer a top priority for the London club’s coaching staff, especially following Arsenal’s continued links to other top-tier forwards ahead of the January transfer window.
The elimination against Fleetwood Town has made the atmosphere even more tense. Fans reacted with great disappointment to the team’s exit from the competition, and the entire attacking unit has inevitably come under fire. In this context, the possibility of an early parting of ways between Gyokeres and the Gunners does not seem at all remote.
Two Italian clubs, in particular, are reportedly watching the situation unfold very closely. Milan is reportedly ready to initiate exploratory talks with the striker’s representatives to assess the feasibility of a loan deal during the winter transfer window. This solution would allow the Rossoneri to strengthen their front line (which currently has only Camarda as an alternative to Gonçalo Ramos in the role of a pure center forward) without immediately having to make another particularly costly investment.
Juventus, for its part, continues to monitor the situation. The Bianconeri have been tracking the Swedish center forward for some time, and given the struggles shown so far by Nick Woltemade and Randal Kolo Muani, they would not rule out making a move if concrete opportunities for negotiations were to arise.
Much will depend, however, on the coming weeks and on Arteta’s decisions. Arsenal, in fact, will have to decide whether to keep a player who could still be useful in the second half of the season or to consider a transfer to prevent the situation from dragging on until the summer.
