S Poddar
Kai Havertz’s injury has been a huge setback for Arsenal, with the club exposed for their inability to bring in depth to their attacking ranks. Mikel Arteta is now left with a tricky situation where he has to use either young, inexperienced players or out-of-form players who are playing out of position.
The timing of the injury adds an extra level of frustration. Just a day after returning from a warm-weather training camp in Dubai, Arsenal confirmed that Havertz had suffered a torn hamstring, ruling him out for the rest of the season. The German forward now joins Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on the sidelines, with the latter expected to be unavailable for about a month after picking up an injury in the Carabao Cup semi-final loss to Newcastle. Gabriel Jesus, another of his attacking options, is already missing until next term with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Arsenal released a statement verifying that Havertz was set to go under the knife in the coming days, his recovery process extending into pre-season. Arteta, who was already complaining about the inability of the club to strengthen in January, now needs to work around getting through the rest of the season with an attacking option diminished.
With just three available fit senior forwards—Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling, and Ethan Nwaneri—to choose from for the next encounter against Leicester, Arteta has no option but to reassess his plan. Surprisingly, neither of Arsenal’s two marquee summer signings, Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino, featured in the recent 5-1 win over Manchester City. Instead, Myles Lewis-Skelly impressed on the left flank while Declan Rice excelled in midfield. Though Calafiori and Merino have produced moments of quality, they have not yet established themselves as irreplaceable players, despite Arsenal’s increasing injury issues.
Arteta had already been voicing concerns over squad depth before the season really got underway. In late August, just a few days before Merino’s signing from Real Sociedad, he conceded that the squad was not as deep as he would have wished. “We don’t have 23 outfield players and usually you have to be geared up like that,” he said. “We know we’re not going to get there. We have to have faith in some academy players and ensure that we look after the ones that we have to be strong and play a lot of minutes. So far looking good, I’m happy.”
But the extent of the injuries that Arsenal has accumulated this season was not something that could have been anticipated. Martin Ødegaard’s two-month layoff following international duty in September was the initial major setback, but matters have only gone from bad to worse since then. Arteta might now be regretting some of his transfer moves, most notably letting Eddie Nketiah leave for Crystal Palace soon after Merino’s arrival. That move, combined with the sale of Emile Smith Rowe for close to £60m, drastically reduced the attacking options. Reiss Nelson’s loan transfer to Fulham also depleted the depth of the squad.
Edu’s last signing before his sudden departure as sporting director in November was a loan transfer for Raheem Sterling, a player Chelsea had considered redundant. Whilst Sterling has the promise to be a valuable asset, he has found it difficult so far to exert himself, getting only 216 Premier League minutes and being taken off in every one of his three starts. Arteta denies that Sterling cannot play centrally and that Trossard cannot as well, though it is clear that neither naturally is a central striker.
In an unexpected turn, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri is now being considered as a potential No. 9. The teenager’s finishing ability has been a highlight in his breakthrough campaign, where he has already netted seven goals. However, the idea of a club with title ambitions depending on a player who isn’t even allowed to change in the first-team dressing room due to Premier League safeguarding regulations speaks volumes about Arsenal’s current predicament.
The absence of Havertz and Martinelli also puts more pressure on Arsenal’s recruitment policy. Jason Ayto, who was promoted after Edu left, is under the spotlight, particularly after the club’s unsuccessful bid to sign Ollie Watkins for about £40m. In spite of that failure, Ayto is still in the running for the full-time sporting director position, alongside the likes of former Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky and other contenders. Arteta recently indicated that a decision might be imminent.
In the future, Arsenal is still keeping an eye on RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko as a summer target following their failure to sign him this time last year. That doesn’t do much to alleviate their present plight though. In the meantime, Arteta has to come up with a plan to keep Arsenal’s season going in the right direction, which could involve depending on players who have hardly played for the Premier League.
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji is one of them. The 22-year-old, who debuted in the first team in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb, has impressed in the under-21s with eight goals in 13 games. Another possible solution is Charles Sagoe Jr., who has just come back from a loan at Shrewsbury. The winger has some experience in the first team, having played in the Carabao Cup last season.
Arsenal’s failure to hold onto games has already cost them crucial points, as evidenced in the game against Aston Villa, when they threw away a two-goal advantage. Meanwhile, on the same day, Darwin Núñez was introduced from the bench to score two goals for Liverpool, once again highlighting the need for game-winning options upfront. The lack of depth may well characterize Arsenal’s season, and unless Arteta can conjure up creative solutions, their hopes of a Premier League title are slipping away.
