Arsenal s new striker scores for the first time! Arteta warns Premier League defender

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta warned Premier League defenders about new aid Victor Dzekelish after the finale of the preseason, praising his strong physical confrontation ability to bring new elements to the team's offense. Dzekelish scored his first goal after joining the Gunners in a friendly match against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

In this game where Arsenal won 3-0 and won the Chiefs Cup, Dzekelish scored the first record for the team, and Bukayo Saka and Kay Havertz also scored goals later. The Swedish forward responded to the far-reaching cross from new player Martin Suvimenti, and defeated the defender's header to break through the goal guarded by Unai Simon, and his performance won high praise from Arteta.

"This is his instinct," Arteta said after the game. "Whether it is running, forward-pulling timing, or predicting the next trend, empty position and landing point, it has shown his talent and intuition. This is exactly why he scored goals in the past few seasons - it is not accidental, but because of his ability to continue to find goals opportunities."

Arteta particularly emphasized the restraint of Zhekelais on defense: "He can restrain two central defenders at the same time. When he gets one-on-one space, he will definitely destroy the defenders. He can also create a broad space for his teammates and become a terminator at any time."

Data shows that since Zhekelais transferred to Portugal Sports from Coventry in 2023, he has scored a total of 68 Portuguese Super League goals in two seasons, making him the player with the most goals in the top ten European leagues in the same period. However, only 2 of them were headers (57 right foot / 9 left foot), and he tried a total of 37 headers, with 10 hitting the target.

In this game, Zhekelais served as the single arrow, with Saka, Martin Odgau and Gabriel Martinelli behind him, and Havertz, who came on as a substitute, scored the team's third goal. Regarding the coexistence of Zhekeresh and Havertz, Arteta said: "Ke (Havertz) can play multiple positions. Their existence improves the quality of the lineup, the team's firepower and tactical changes, creating multiple problems for the opponent. Witnessing the two scored in the same game and were in good shape, this choice dilemma is gratifying."

Arsenal will start the journey of the new Premier League season next week, challenge Manchester United for the first away game, and then play against Leeds United and Liverpool before the end of August.