Arsenal are ‘actively looking at options’ to replace Merino, who set to be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a fractured right foot which requires surgery
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Mikel Merino is out for the season after it was revealed his broken foot required surgery
Mikel Merino is out for the season after it was revealed his broken foot required surgery (REUTERS)
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Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal are "actively looking at options" to replace Mikel Merino in the closing hours of the transfer window.
Merino is set to be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a fractured right foot which requires surgery.
Arsenal already boast one of, if not, the strongest Premier League squads after spending £250m across eight players in the summer.
But Arteta said the club, whose trophy aspirations were derailed by injuries last season, do not want to take any chances.
The versatile Merino, who sustained the injury in Arsenal's defeat against Manchester United last month, has scored six goals in 33 appearances this season.
And speaking ahead of the second leg of Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Chelsea, where his side hold a 3-2 aggregate lead, Arteta said: "We are actively looking at options and we will continue to do that.
"When you lose a big player like this with four months to go, and all the competitions to play for, you need to look and we need to do everything we possibly can to see if a player is available, and if not, we keep what we have.
"You need a player that has the capacity to adapt immediately and impact the team and that is not easy, but if it was easy we wouldn't be here, so we need to find solutions and try.
"Yes, we have more depth now (than last season) but for seven months we have not because we have had players out. We know the demands and we need players because we play every two to three days.
"I wouldn't say I am relaxed. We are on it. It is our responsibility. When we are playing for what we are playing for, we need to give ourselves the best opportunity and chance to look at the market, every option, evaluate them, and then make a decision if we can do something, if it is possible."
Former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is currently training with the club’s Under-21 squad, having been a free agent since leaving Besiktas.
When asked if the 32-year-old could be snapped up, Arteta smiled and said: “We explore every option.”
PA