Mikel Arteta and Arsenal will be wondering if they're ever going to get a break when it comes to injuries. Kai Havertz is the latest Gunners' star set for a spell on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring during the club's warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
It's expected that the German international will be ruled out for the rest of the campaign in a bitter blow to Arsenal's title bid. Arteta's men are already without Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus in forward areas of the pitch.
The latter of the trio is set for a long spell on the sidelines having injured his ACL last month and needed surgery on his left knee. With Havertz now joining him in the medical room, it leaves Arteta without a recognised striker between now and the end of the season.
It's a situation the Gunners were desperate to avoid. It's no secret that Arsenal would have liked to have signed a striker during the January transfer window.
The club were linked with Newcastle United's Alexander Isak - though the finances to pull off a deal are huge at the time of writing - Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, Sporting's Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko. In the end, no fresh faces would come through the door.
However, it's a departure from the summer that Arsenal may be ruing the most. The Gunners lost promising young striker Chido Obi-Martin to Manchester United having failed to agree terms with the youngster.
The striker, who is highly thought of across the country at youth level, opted to leave the Emirates Stadium in order for a move to Old Trafford. Obi-Martin grabbed a hat-trick in Man United U18s 5-1 win over Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup last night.
The Danish striker scored for fun during his time at Arsenal, including an astonishing 10-goal haul in a single game for the Under-16s back in November 2023, but is yet to break into the Man United first-team set-up, despite their struggles in front of goal.
Had the youngster stayed at the Gunners, he may well have clocked up senior minutes already given Arsenal's injury problems in the final third.
Arteta has already shown he's willing to give young players an opportunity, with Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri breaking into the first team so far this season.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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