Arsenal's hopes of challenging for the Premier League title are dealt a major blow as Kai Havertz suffers a potential hamstring tear, leaving the club desperately short of attacking options.
Arsenal are facing a growing injury crisis with fears that star forward Kai Havertz has suffered a hamstring tear that could sideline him for the remainder of the season. The 25-year-old's injury emerged after a recent training session, leaving manager Mikel Arteta with a serious headache ahead of Saturday's crucial Premier League clash against Leicester City. Arteta will address the severity of Havertz's injury at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
Havertz has been a crucial player for Arsenal this season, making 34 appearances across all competitions and leading the club with 15 goals and five assists. This potential absence adds to Arsenal's already depleted attacking ranks. Both Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka are currently sidelined with hamstring injuries, while striker Gabriel Jesus is out for the season due to an ACL injury. The mounting injuries leave Arsenal desperately short of attacking options, especially as their attempts to strengthen their frontline during the January transfer window were unsuccessful. Arteta previously expressed disappointment over the lack of activity in the transfer market, particularly after a bid for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins was rejected. Links to other attacking players like Newcastle's Alexander Isak, Wolves' Matheus Cunha, Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko, and Brighton's Evan Ferguson proved fruitless. The injury woes have intensified the criticism Arsenal faced even before these setbacks. Many pundits and fans had argued that the club needed to sign a striker to maintain their title aspirations. Arteta acknowledged the potential need for Havertz to play almost every game for the rest of the season, stating that his other options in the attacking role would be wingers Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling, and Ethan Nwaneri. Arsenal had travelled to Spain for warm-weather training last Thursday following their Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle. They were not involved in this weekend's FA Cup fixtures after their third-round loss to Manchester United. Arsenal currently sit second in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand
ARSENAL KAI HAVERZ INJURY HAMSTRING PREMIER LEAGUE MIKEL ARTETA TRANSFER WINDOW