Mikel Arteta was in agreement and “aligned” with the decision by Arsenal chiefs to not sign a striker during the January transfer window. The Gunners, who are currently second in the Premier League, have been on the hunt for a new forward for some time.
However, the ACL injury suffered by Gabriel Jesus in the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United accelerated this search. Despite this, Arsenal remained quiet during the transfer window, their only activity being a rejected bid for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
They did not make a renewed offer for the England international and also decided against pursuing any other targets. This leaves Arteta with just Kai Havertz as a senior option for the lone striker role for the remainder of the season.
While some may view this as a point of contention, The Athletic reports that the Spaniard and the club were ‘aligned in the view’ that they should not simply sign a ‘body’. Instead, they wanted a No.9 who could make an ‘immediate impact’ for the second half of the season. When the Watkins deal fell through, there was no obvious alternative who did not ‘compromise’ the club’s summer plans, reports the Mirror.
With long-term targets like Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko unavailable until the summer, Arsenal chiefs have decided to take a ‘calculated gamble’ that Havertz can carry them through to the end of the season. Arteta has expressed his full confidence in Havertz’s abilities as the club’s main striker, praising his work-rate and impact within their system. Ahead of the transfer deadline, Arteta highlighted Havertz’s exceptional availability and significant contributions to the team.
“He’s been our main striker for a while now and he’s producing some big numbers and his work-rate is unbelievable. Not only that but what we demand him to do in our model, his availability has been exceptional, so he’s always there and we are very happy to have him,” said Arteta.
“It doesn’t depend on us. We have the intention, purpose and ambition to try to help the team and support the squad to be better and to finish the season really strong, and we are actively trying to do that
“I’m very confident with the work that the club is doing and exploring every single opportunity that we believe can have an impact on the team. That’s certainly the case and if we can agree something we will. If not, we won’t.
“We are trying everything that we can, but I don’t want to give any reassurance or not. I don’t know, it doesn’t depend only on us, so our intention is clear but the possibilities are affected by three parties.”
