Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was giving nothing away when he was asked how the club plan to deal with the absence of Kai Havertz, who will not play again this season
Mikel Arteta is refusing to rule anything out after losing Kai Havertz for the rest of the season as Arsenal weigh up entering the free agent market.
The Gunners were already light on attacking options before Havertz tore his hamstring during the club’s warm-weather training camp in Dubai. The Germany star was Arsenal’s sole recognised senior striker, leaving Arteta with a major problem.
With no new striker signed in the January transfer window, Arteta will now have to weigh up his options. And while that could mean playing somebody out of position, a surprise new signing is another option.
When he was asked if Arsenal would look at the free agent market, Arteta responded: “We’ll explore every possible situation and make a decision from there.”
While Arteta and Arsenal may be open to the idea of exploring the free agent market, it remains to be seen if there are any viable options that the club would consider, even in their current plight.
Former Gunner Carlos Vela, now 35, is one of a handful of unattached players who could be available to ease Arsenal’s striker crisis.
Ex-Chelsea man Diego Costa has Premier League experience but didn’t make much of an impact after signing a short-term deal with Wolves back in 2022 when they were experiencing a striker crisis of their own.
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Leandro Damiao, Lucas Perez, Mariano Diaz and Maxi Gomez are some of the other forwards currently without a club. None, though, would be considered good enough to lead the line for Arsenal in different circumstances, which underlines the dilemma Arteta and the club currently face.
After stressing that any free agent would have to be able to ‘play at our level’ and contribute to the team both on and off the pitch, Arteta was asked if, in hindsight, failing to sign a striker in January was a mistake.
“We always put in that situation that we were one or two injuries away from a very risky situation,” he responded.
“But when you try your best and think you have done everything you are capable of and have done your homework and try that and don’t achieve it you can have regrets but at least you know you have done it.”
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