The footballing gods seemed determined to punish Arsenal's transfer team after the Gunners did not appease their fans with a new signing in January.
Mikel Arteta publicly stressed on more than one occasion that he was hoping to reinforce his attack over the winter, but his superiors elected to keep the Emirates chequebook closed, in spite of the fact that Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus were already stricken.
Take a risk now and hope it pays off at the end of the year was ostensibly the train of thought for Arsenal chiefs, but following reports that Kai Havertz will miss the rest of the season with the hamstring injury he suffered in Dubai, that gamble has backfired in the most spectacular way.
Havertz is the second Arsenal attacker to enter the treatment room since the January window slammed shut - Gabriel Martinelli is also nursing his own hamstring problem, albeit not such a serious one - and here, Sports Mole takes a look at the Gunners games that the former will miss between now and the end of the campaign.
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As Arsenal are no longer competing for EFL Cup or FA Cup glory, the Gunners only have Premier League and Champions League matters to attend to between now and the end of the season, slightly easing the demands on Arteta's ravaged attack.
However, Havertz stands to miss a critical run of domestic and European fixtures between now and the summer, including the Gunners' Champions League last-16 matches against an as yet unknown opponent.
Arteta's men are set to face one of Feyenoord, Juventus, AC Milan or PSV Eindhoven in the last-16 stage, of which the first legs will be played at the start of March before the return fixtures one week down the line.
April's quarter-finals and the semi-finals - taking place between late April and early May - will also come too soon for Havertz, and even if the Gunners somehow make the final on May 31, he will surely have to watch that one from the sidelines too.
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In terms of domestic fixtures, Arsenal have 14 Premier League matches remaining to try to rein in Liverpool at the top of the table, where the Reds can move nine points clear by beating Everton in Wednesday's Merseyside derby.
The Gunners face the Reds in the third-last gameweek of the season on May 10, where Havertz will be unavailable, and the Germany international will also miss critical meetings against Newcastle United (May 18) and Bournemouth (May 3) in the spring, as well as a trip to Southampton on the last day.
Arsenal's fixture list becomes less daunting as the days get longer - they meet Fulham, Everton, Brentford, Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace in April - but in the near future, they have to face all of Nottingham Forest (February 26), Manchester United (March 9) and Chelsea (March 15) with a Havertz-less attack.
The Gunners' first game since the 25-year-old's crushing blow is a more winnable one away to Leicester City on Saturday afternoon, before another friendlier fixture at home to London rivals West Ham United on February 22.
All in all, Havertz could sit out a total of 21 matches between now and the end of the 2024-25 season, and as Arsenal's attacking numbers dwindle further, their fatigued forwards will come under increasing risk of further injuries in the coming weeks.
Ben Knapton
