Mikel Arteta has revealed he is consulting his own players over which striker Arsenal should sign this month as he admitted his depleted side needs “help”.
In the wake of Gabriel Jesus’ anterior cruciate ligament injury – which could keep the Brazilian out for a year – Arteta wants to bolster his attacking options before the transfer window closes in 10 days.
Jesus’ absence leaves Kai Havertz as the club’s sole recognised striker, while Bukayo Saka is also expected to be sidelined until at least March with the hamstring tear he sustained at Crystal Palace on December 21.
Declan Rice said recently that he would “not be surprised if we do something” in this window. And when asked if the players have told him they need more bodies, Arteta replied: “Not like that, but we have all been there, and we all look at each other.
“We have very, very short numbers for many, many weeks and they recognise the situation, we all do. That’s why we are trying to do what is right for the club, the team, that’s our intention.”
Arteta, speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash at Wolves on Saturday, was then pushed on whether he is speaking to his current squad about signing new players.
“I always do it, especially if they know them because that’s getting us away from the computer and what the data is saying and it is real,” he said.
“I have seen it, I sense it. A player can score a lot of goals, great. How does this player react when he hasn’t scored for six or seven games? This is what I am interested in.
“What kind of goals does he score? Against which teams, in which context? Is it first half or second half? Is it only with his right foot, only headers, only in open spaces? Does he like the physical contact of this league?
“There are a lot of things. So when you have a player that has spent a lot of days with him, that is really valuable information to have.”
Earlier this month, Arteta said he preferred to focus on his own squad rather than strengthen. But Jesus’ crushing injury has forced his hand.
And the Spaniard added: “My opinion is clear – we lost two very important players in Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus, so we lack goals, people, and options in the front line.
“It’s clear that for the period that we have lost them, ideally we need some help, because we were short already and we’re even shorter. The team has still coped with that but we have do what is right for the club.
“If we can get the right player, that’s what we are actively looking at, but any player – no, we need someone that makes us better and makes an impact on the team.”
In an injury boost for Arteta, both William Saliba and Myles Lewis-Skelly, absent from Arsenal’s midweek Champions League win against Dinamo Zagreb, face an outside chance of being available to feature at Wolves. Arsenal trail Liverpool by six points in the Premier League, having played one match more.
“The margins (in the title race) are really, really small,” said Arteta. “You can see how things could have gone last weekend, and the turning point is minimal, and then the gap suddenly looks very different. We have to be at it, it is still in our hands, and there is a long, long way to go.”
