There was a time when virtually every club in world football would have jumped at the chance to secure Kylian Mbappe's signature. For Arsenal supporters particularly, there has long been an allure surrounding the Frenchman, prompting some of the more optimistic corners of the fanbase to ask 'What if we signed him?'
Perhaps it stems from the fact Mbappe remains the closest thing football has seen to a Thierry Henry successor since the King of Highbury retired in 2014. The two Frenchmen share several parallels, including growing up in Parisian suburbs, blistering speed, dazzling skills, enjoying World Cup glory early in their careers, and carrying an undeniable aura on the field.
Mbappe was raised in Bondy idolising the Arsenal legend, having confessed to watching "everything Henry did." What proved even more fascinating to Gunners fans everywhere was the widely-shared photograph of a young Mbappe wearing Arsenal's 2003/04 yellow kit, with Henry's name and iconic No.14 on the back.
He came closer than most are aware to becoming an Arsenal player in the summer of 2016. Then-manager Arsene Wenger famously travelled to his home in France while he was still at Monaco in a bid to persuade him to move to N5 following a 26-goal breakthrough campaign. But the teenage prodigy stayed at Monaco for another term and ended up signing for PSG the following summer, initially on loan, before sealing a £165million permanent transfer. The Gunners simply couldn't compete with PSG's financial muscle when they came back with an offer in 2017.
For years, they would lament Wenger's unsuccessful pursuit of another of Clairfontaine's most sought-after talents, watching from a distance as he shattered record after record for the Parisians while Arsenal fell out of the Champions League. However, the Mbappe dream has finally been shattered over the past 18 months - and few around the Emirates Stadium would genuinely want Mikel Arteta to bring him in now to play ahead of Viktor Gyokeres.
For years, Mbappe-led PSG failed to secure their first Champions League crown. Last term, in their first campaign without the Frenchman, Luis Enrique's side adopted a notably more team-oriented approach and won the trophy. Mbappe, in contrast, set the record for the most goals scored by a player during their debut season at his dream club, Real Madrid, but failed to secure any of the major team honours. That only reinforced the perception that the France captain played purely for himself and made his team worse overall.
That narrative has increased tenfold over the past month, with Madrid's second season without a trophy leading to a toxic circus around the club and dressing room infighting. Mbappe sits at the heart of that turmoil, having come under fire for suffering an injury at a pivotal point of the campaign and heading to Italy to spend time with his model girlfriend while his team-mates faltered on the pitch. This reached a head when an online 'Mbappe out' petition amassed over 70million signatures, although the legitimacy of those signatures is questionable. Mbappe was booed by his own fans when he made his return from injury against Real Oviedo on Thursday and became embroiled in a public row with Los Blancos manager Alvaro Arbeola, having claimed the Spaniard told him he was the fourth-choice striker at the club.
The significance for Arsenal is that the north Londoners have finally arrived at a point where they can look at Mbappe's situation at Real Madrid and view the entire saga as a dodged bullet. That's because they now have a striker in Gyokeres who can score goals and play for the badge. Arteta has led his team to this year's Champions League final and topped the Premier League table for the majority of the campaign by sticking to several core principles, which boil down to no individual being more important than the collective. The French superstar, while undeniably a superior individual talent to Gyokeres, would have ruined everything Arteta has built due to his ego.
Arteta can actually depend on £64m summer signing Gyokeres, who embodies all of his values in every moment of every match, putting his body on the line with every challenge and loose ball pursued. That same mentality has seen the Swede undergo a remarkable transformation in recent weeks, one which has seen him register five goal involvements in his last six Premier League matches. Gyokeres faced criticism and was even mocked for extended periods of the season but he never sulked or aired his grievances to the press. Despite his shortcomings, his commitment and work ethic have clearly paid off as he now fluidly links up with team-mates and scores vital goals to edge the Gunners towards a potentially historic double.
There are whispers that Mbappe could even be on the market this summer - but Arsenal would be sensible to steer clear. As such, it's fair to say words which were inconceivable before the turn of the year: Arsenal don't need Kylian Mbappe - Viktor Gyokeres is doing what is required of a No.9 to finally get the club over the line.
Background: The Pursuit of a Superstar
The story of Arsenal's chase for Kylian Mbappe is one of what-ifs and near-misses. From his early days at Monaco, where he burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old, Mbappe's talent was undeniable. In the 2016-17 season, he scored 26 goals in all competitions, leading Monaco to a Ligue 1 title and a Champions League semi-final. Arsene Wenger, always keen to bring young French talent to Arsenal, saw Mbappe as the perfect heir to Thierry Henry. The famous trip to Mbappe's home in Bondy was well-documented, with Wenger sitting down with the teenager and his family to outline a vision. But Monaco's hefty asking price and the allure of Paris Saint-Germain, backed by Qatari wealth, proved too strong.
Arsenal's inability to compete financially at that time was emblematic of a club in transition. The move to the Emirates Stadium had limited their spending power, and they were facing a period of austerity. Meanwhile, Mbappe's star rose meteorically at PSG, where he won multiple Ligue 1 titles, scored over 200 goals, and became the club's all-time leading scorer. But his ultimate goal was always a move to Real Madrid, which finally materialized in a 2024 free transfer. Even then, Arsenal fans held out hope that perhaps, just perhaps, he might one day don the red and white.
The Rise of Viktor Gyokeres
While Mbappe was dominating headlines at PSG, Viktor Gyokeres was carving out a different path. The Swedish striker, born in Stockholm, began his career at Brommapojkarna before moving to Brighton & Hove Albion. Loan spells at St. Pauli, Swansea City, and Coventry City followed, but it was at Coventry where he truly blossomed. In the 2022-23 Championship season, he scored 21 goals and provided 12 assists, catching the eye of Sporting CP. At Sporting, he continued his rich form, scoring 43 goals in his first campaign and leading the club to a league title. That prompted Arsenal to make their move in the summer of 2025, securing his services for a fee of £64 million.
Initially, Gyokeres faced skepticism. Could a striker from the Portuguese league replicate his form in the Premier League? Early struggles saw him miss chances and endure criticism. But Arteta's faith never wavered. The manager built a system around collective effort, and Gyokeres began to adapt. His work rate, hold-up play, and movement improved, and the goals started flowing. In a crucial run-in, he scored against Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, positioning Arsenal for a historic double.
Comparing Mentality: Individual vs. Collective
The contrast between Mbappe and Gyokeres goes beyond statistics. It is a clash of philosophies. Mbappe, for all his brilliance, has often been accused of prioritizing personal glory over team success. At PSG, despite a star-studded squad, he could not deliver a Champions League trophy. At Real Madrid, his first season saw him break goal records but the team ended without silverware. Reports of dressing room discontent and his refusal to track back have marred his reputation. In contrast, Gyokeres is the epitome of the team player. He runs tirelessly, presses from the front, and celebrates assists as much as goals. His humility and dedication have won over the Emirates faithful.
Arsenal's journey under Arteta has been about building a culture. After the chaos of Unai Emery and the final years of Wenger, Arteta instilled a mindset of discipline, unity, and sacrifice. Players like Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and William Saliba are the embodiment of this. Adding a mercurial talent like Mbappe, with his entourage and ego, could destabilize that fragile ecosystem. The fact that Arteta himself has spoken about the importance of character in his recruitment suggests that Mbappe, despite his talent, would not fit the profile.
The 2025-26 Season: A Turning Point
The current season has been pivotal. Arsenal sits atop the Premier League, six points clear with five games remaining. They have reached the Champions League final, where they will face Bayern Munich. Gyokeres has scored 22 goals in all competitions, while Mbappe's Real Madrid crashed out in the quarter-finals to Borussia Dortmund. The narrative has shifted: Arsenal no longer needs a savior; they have built a team greater than the sum of its parts. Mbappe, still a phenomenal player, has become a cautionary tale of what could have been.
In the end, the dream of signing Mbappe was always a romantic one, rooted in nostalgia for Henry and the invincibles. But football evolves. Arsene Wenger's pursuit was a reflection of a different era, when Arsenal could attract the world's best. Today, under Arteta, the club has a new identity—one that values collective success over individual headline acts. And while Mbappe remains a generational talent, Arsenal fans can look at their team and honestly say: we don't need him. We have Viktor Gyokeres.
This realization is not born of bitterness or resentment, but of maturity. The club that once chased ghosts has found its own path. And in that path, they have discovered that sometimes, the dream is not about landing the superstar, but about building something lasting. Arsenal have built that something, and Gyokeres is its beating heart.
Source: Daily Mirror News