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‘Certain issues with players’ - Mikel Arteta has assured every Arsenal player that they will get opportunities this season after Viktor Gyokeres was once again left on the bench during the Gunners’ 1-0 win against Aston Villa. Despite scoring 22 goals last season, the Swedish striker has found minutes hard to come by in the early part of the campaign, leading to speculation over a possible late summer transfer.

Arsenal battled their way to a hard-earned victory at Villa Park.

Bukayo Saka’s second-half goal ensured Arsenal kept up their perfect start to the Premier League season with a tight 1-0 victory at Villa Park. The Gunners depended on a strong defensive display to take all three points, recording their sixth clean sheet in seven league matches dating back to the closing stretch of last season.

Arteta used his bench extensively to manage a difficult away assignment. Eberechi Eze came on at half-time in place of summer arrival Christos Tzolis and played an important role in Saka’s match-winning goal. Mikel Merino, Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa were also introduced in the second half to help Arsenal close out the contest.

Gyokeres, however, remained an unused substitute for the second successive league game. The Sweden international was also unable to get on the pitch against Coventry last week and had featured for only 15 minutes in the Community Shield win over Manchester City.

Arteta later explained the thinking behind his substitutions.

After the final whistle, the Arsenal manager spoke about the lack of game time for some members of his squad. The Gunners boss said physical concerns were the key reason behind the changes he made against Villa.

“It was a squad victory and we knew it was going to be a long match,” Arteta said. “The game was going to shift and they were going to have moments because they are very capable of doing that, especially when you lose the ball in certain areas. There are still things to improve but I loved the attitude of every single player that was on the pitch.”

Speaking directly about the unused substitutes, the Spaniard added: “It was a squad performance and a squad victory today and I’m sad for the ones that didn’t have the chance to play because they all want to be participating. But sometimes you have certain issues with players physically that you have to make changes and I’m sure there are going to be minutes for everybody.”

Transfer speculation continues to surround Gyokeres.

Gyokeres’ reduced role is largely down to Kai Havertz returning to full fitness, with the former Chelsea player currently being preferred in attack. That shortage of playing time has naturally increased speculation over the Swede’s future ahead of transfer deadline day.

The striker has recently been linked with a move to Barcelona. Reports have even claimed he could be included as part of a complicated deal that would bring Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez to the Emirates Stadium.

At the same time, Arsenal have reportedly reduced their attacking options by allowing Ethan Nwaneri to join Borussia Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the season. The Bundesliga club moved quickly for the England Under-21 international after Giannis Konstantelias suffered a serious cruciate knee ligament injury.

Nwaneri leaves as deadline day approaches.

Nwaneri is due to undergo a medical in Germany today as he looks for regular first-team football that he was unlikely to receive in north London. Interestingly, the teenager may soon come up against his parent club, with Dortmund and Arsenal having been drawn in the same Champions League group.

For Arteta’s side, the focus will now be on extending their winning run while also negotiating the final hours of the transfer window. Whether Gyokeres remains in the squad to compete for the minutes his manager has promised should become clear by deadline day.