BREAKING NEWS: Arsenal finally terminated deal of ONE on loan Arsenal player after Kai Havertz and Martinelli long term injury, player is now back and SPOTTED with the squad to take on Leicester City TODAY
BREAKING NEWS: Arsenal finally terminated deal of ONE on loan Arsenal player after Kai Havertz and Martinelli long term injury, player is now back and SPOTTED with the squad to take on Leicester City TODAY
Arsenal considered terminating the loan of Fabio Vieira as Kai Havertz will miss the rest of the season with an injury but opted against it, reports The Athletic.
Arsenal fans believe their season to be over with Kai Havertz out injured, and Mikel Arteta may be forced to sign free agent Diego Costa as cover for the injured German striker.
The former Chelsea man now joins Gabriel Jesus on the side-lines who is confirmed to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Bukayo Saka has undergone hamstring surgery, with a return date not yet confirmed by the North London club.
The Gunners had a brief window after Saka‘s injury, in which they were able to recall Vieira from Porto, The Athletic reported, but chose no to do so, while bringing back Reiss Nelson from Fulham is also now impossible.
Since opting against recalling the Portuguese attacking midfielder, Vieira has since passed the minimum number of appearances to trigger a season-long loan, leaving Ethan Nwaneri as the only natural right-winger available to Mikel Arteta.
Nelson cannot return as cover for Havertz, with Premier League rules stating a recall clause can only be activated in the winter transfer window, making the timing of the German’s injury even more unfortunate for the Spanish manager.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta under serious pressure after Kai Havertz injury
Following a mid-season break to Dubai, things are really beginning to heat up for Arteta.
The former club captain wanted a striker to be signed in the January transfer window, and is now left without a recognised forward to lead the line.
Arsenal had a £60million bid for Ollie Watkins rejected by Aston Villa, but instead of pushing through a move for the English striker, or an alternative like Benjamin Sesko, the Gunners instead chose to let the end of the transfer window pass them by.
Whilst frustrating for fans of the club, this measured approach is in keeping with Arsenal’s recent transfer policy. However, that same policy has led to Arteta only having a 17-year-old Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling available at the most crucial moment, in a season where the Premier League trophy is genuinely in reach for the Gunners.
The club’s form will undoubtedly suffer with Havertz leading the line, and the Spanish manager will come under serious pressure over the coming weeks and months.
Mikel Arteta could go unorthodox in his approach to solving striker issue
There have been some suggestions that Arteta could look to use Mikel Merino as a striker, in an unorthodox move.
Whilst it would do little to dispel the rumours that Arsenal are merely the Stoke City team from the late 2000s in disguise, it would be an interesting solution to a really serious problem the Gunners’ boss has right now.
Available to him in the academy are Nathan Butler-Oyedeji and Khayon Edwards, the former has had two loan spells away from the club without scoring, the latter did not travel to Dubai with the first-team squad.
Another solution, as mentioned, could be the free agent market. Diego Costa, Carlos Vela, Maxi Gomez and Yaya Sanogo are all available, none of whom are likely to spur Arsenal to a first league title since 2004
