Mikel Arteta makes intentions clear after being asked if Arsenal will use free agent market to sign new striker amid injury crisis

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that he is keeping all options open with regards to the free agent market amid his side's injury crisis. The Gunners are left with only two senior attackers and 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri for the next month or so after injuries hit their squad in recent times.

News of Kai Havertz suffering significant hamstring damage that will keep him out until the 2025-26 season rocked the Arsenal camp, considering they were already light in attack. They had already lost Gabriel Jesus for the remainder of the season and will remain without Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli until March at the earliest.

Mikel Arteta spoke from the club's training ground in London ahead of their Premier League game against Leicester City on Saturday. The manager revealed that he and his team will explore every possible situation with regards to making a free agent signing to cover for the season.

"We will explore every possible situation," Arteta said via football.london.

Arsenal had been linked with several free agents following Havertz's injury, but they will likely abstain from making any immediate additions to their squad. With the likes of Carlos Vela, Lucas Perez, Maxi Gomez, Mariano Diaz, Diego Costa, and Wissam Ben Yedder all available for free, Arteta has a decent group to pick from in the short term.

There will be no signings ahead of the Leicester City game, and the Gunners will go into the game with Raheem Sterling, Leandro Trossard, and Nwaneri as their senior attacking options. With all of them, barring Trossard, spending time on the sidelines in recent months, the club will be watching their physical load closely in case of a need to make emergency signings.

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Opportunity knocks for Arsenal youngster amid injury crisis

Arsenal have had two brilliant players come up from the academy this season to provide quality competition for first-team shirts - Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri. The Gunners will likely have to turn to their academy once more for internal solutions amid their troubles with injuries.

A likely recipient of any major youth involvement against Leicester City is forward Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, who at 22, is not exactly a teenage star anymore. The academy graduate made his senior debut in January against Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League and will be keen for more opportunities.

Butler-Oyedeji has played 60 games for the Arsenal U-21, scoring 20 times and providing 12 assists since the 2020-21 season. The forward has scored seven times in ten PL2 games this season and was named Player of the Month in August. He will likely have a chance to earn his keep in Mikel Arteta's side, and will be keen to do so.