"Super ready to perform" - Arteta extremely impressed with 23-year-old Arsenal star 

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has backed striker Eddie Nketiah to step up to the plate in the absence of star forward Gabriel Jesus.

The Brazil international suffered a medial ligament tear in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which required surgery that will keep him out for a long time. In his absence, Nketiah is Arteta's only senior striker in the squad.

The 23-year-old has, for the entirety of his senior career, played as a backup option for one or another striker at the Emirates. But in the space of two transfer windows, Arsenal bid farewell to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

With Jesus out of action for several weeks, Nketiah is expected to get additional playing time. He has featured in 12 league games this season, but that has amounted to just 141 minutes of action.

However, the Spanish tactician is confident that Nketiah is up for the task at hand. He said (h/t HITC):

"Eddie is always ready. He knows that it opens up a big opportunity for him right now and he needs to grab it, but the way that he trains every day and the mentality he has, he gives us no reason to believe that he won’t be super ready to perform."

Arsenal have several of important games lined up in the coming weeks, starting with the London derby in the league against West Ham United on December 26. The January transfer window will allow the Gunners to find a short-term replacement for Jesus.

If they are shrewd, then such an investment could help them find a player who can compete for starts up front with the Brazilian in the long run. It is up to Nketiah to show Arteta that he could be the man for such a task and that the club does not need to spend on signing a new forward.

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Arsenal interested in signing former Manchester City forward

Arsenal are interested in bringing Ferran Torres back to the Premier League, as per BILD (h/t Mirror).

Torres left Manchester City to join Barcelona in December 2021. He is capable of playing out wide and in the middle of the attack, as he did for Spain at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The 22-year-old forward is evidently more accomplished at the club and international level. If Arsenal are serious about challenging for the Premier League title, they would be wise not to pin their entire goal-scoring hopes on Nketiah in Jesus' absence.

Ferran Torres has scored five times and provided one assist in 18 games across competitions for the Catalan club this campaign.