Three ways Arsenal could line-up without Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli

Arsenal’s attacking wounded situation appears to person worsened aft reports that Kai Havertz sustained a hamstring wounded during their Dubai warm-weather grooming camp.

With a escaped weekend, the Gunners headed to the Middle East for a mid-season reset, but an injury picked up successful grooming by Havertz has present near Mikel Arteta with yet different enactment headache.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus stay sidelined with their respective semipermanent injuries, portion Gabriel Martinelli is also acceptable for a spell connected the attraction table having picked up a sound against Newcastle.

While the severity of Havertz’s wounded is not yet known, his lack would permission Arsenal without a recognised striker and with conscionable 3 acceptable forwards successful Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling.

As Arteta looks for a solution earlier Saturday’s clash with Leicester City, present are 3 ways helium could regenerate Arsenal’s latest injured duo.

Trossard down the middle

Passing the baton to Leandro Trossard feels the astir apt enactment for Arteta astatine this contiguous moment.

The Belgian international, aft all, has played successful a cardinal relation connected galore occasions for Arsenal, astir precocious successful their 2-1 triumph implicit Girona successful the club’s last Champions League league signifier match.

While Trossard does not connection the tallness of Haverz, nor the speedy feet of Jesus, his quality and modicum of acquisition successful the relation mightiness contiguous Arteta with his lone reliable and somewhat risk-free option.

Nwaneri and Sterling could past beryllium expected to flank the 30-year-old.

Trust successful youth

Having been dilatory introduced into the archetypal team, Nwaneri is present flourishing arsenic a captious portion of Arteta’s matchday squad.

The teen already has 7 goals successful each competitions this season, with his astir caller a superb long-range effort for Arsenal’s 5th against Manchester City.

Nominally an attacking midfielder, the Nwaneri has besides played arsenic a close winger for Arsenal successful Saka’s lack and could present beryllium a bold enactment to play down the middle.

The 17-year-old has fulfilled the relation erstwhile playing successful Arsenal’s younker teams and Arteta has previously spoken astir Nwaneri’s suitability to pb the line.

‘Ethan tin play arsenic a close attacking midfielder, a near attacking midfielder,’ Arteta said successful mid-December. ‘He tin play arsenic a close winger and determination is different presumption I deliberation helium tin make into – No.9.

‘He has got the extremity successful beforehand of him and helium looks astatine the extremity and helium has a tremendous quality to enactment the shot successful the backmost of the net.’

Arteta whitethorn not person envisaged putting that program into enactment for immoderate months – possibly adjacent years – but the Spaniard has fewer different options and whitethorn good rotation the dice fixed the 17-year-old’s superb improvement to this point.

Think extracurricular the box

While the situation of Leicester connected the play whitethorn not beryllium the sternest, upcoming games against West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea volition beryllium much difficult.

And portion Havertz has not ever provided a reliable root of goals, the German’s physicality and pressing strength person proved invaluable successful however the Gunners play.

In that sense, possibly Mikel Merino represents the astir like-for-like replacement astatine the apical of the transportation if Arteta wants to support his benignant mostly unchanged.

The Spaniard has been successful and retired of the starting XI since joining from Real Sociedad successful the summer, but is physical, bully successful the aerial and has an oculus for a extremity having scored 8 successful each competitions past play successful La Liga.

Arteta played successful midfield astatine Everton erstwhile David Moyes deployed Marouane Fellaini further guardant arsenic an auxiliary striker. Perhaps now, the Spaniard volition instrumentality a leafage retired of his erstwhile boss’ book.

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