Deepest sympathies are with cursed Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus, who just a few weeks on from reigniting his Gunners career is now anticipated to miss the rest of the season with a suspected ACL rupture.
The former Manchester City man left the Emirates pitch on a stretcher after suffering his issue in the FA Cup third-round loss to Manchester United, and Mikel Arteta had no good news to share in the immediate aftermath.
Following several hours of speculation and hearsay of a likely ACL problem, reliable outlets have now reported that the worst has indeed happened, and Jesus will be restricted to a watching brief for the rest of the season as Arsenal somehow try to overhaul Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.
Of course, the ever-coy Arteta did not directly confirm such reports on Tuesday, and it is likely that the Gunners chose to schedule his press conference for the morning before Jesus has undergone his final specialist assessment.
The Spaniard could therefore simply stress that he was waiting for the official medical report this afternoon - which is exactly what he did - but he did offer one certainty, that Arsenal will be looking to the market for reinforcements.
"My answer remains the same, we are actively looking in the market to improve the squad. We would be naive not to do that. We are looking, we are trying, let's see what we are able to do," Arteta said.
With Jesus out for months and Kai Havertz experiencing a miserable time in front of goal, Sports Mole looks at three realistic targets Arsenal could pursue in January, where deals for top targets Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak should be close to impossible.
Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus | 24)
© Imago
While another devastating setback for the jinxed Jesus should force Arsenal into action this month, there is every chance that they will only seek a temporary solution on loan to tide them over before pursuing a big-name striker when the summer window reopens.
Any loan arrivals will have to be from a foreign division, as the Gunners' two Premier League loan positions are taken up by Raheem Sterling and Neto, and aside from the unattainable Isak, Arteta does not appear to have his eye on a permanent deal for any other English top-flight player.
It is no secret that the Spaniard wanted to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina in 2022 after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's acrimonious exit, but the Serbian snubbed the Gunners for Juventus, where he has slowly but surely started to grow in confidence.
However, Arsenal's interest has supposedly never gone away, and insider Con Harrison claims that a loan move for the 24-year-old is being discussed at London Colney.
Juventus will surely be loath to let Vlahovic depart without a replacement, but the Old Lady are said to be pushing for the signature of Paris Saint-Germain's Randal Kolo Muani, which might just make them receptive to a tempting offer from North London.
Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain | 26)
© Imago
Following on from the previous section, if Juventus cannot get a deal for Kolo Muani over the line, Arsenal can surely forget about taking Vlahovic on a temporary deal for the remainder of the campaign.
However, the Kolo Muani option in itself should not be discounted, as the 26-year-old has seemingly been made available for a loan or permanent transfer after struggling to hit the heights expected of him at the Parc des Princes.
It was claimed a while ago that Arsenal would be given the chance to sign Kolo Muani on loan, although Tottenham Hotspur and Juve now appear to have made the biggest effort to lure the forward away from the French capital.
Kolo Muani may only have two goals under his belt this season, but 12 of his 14 appearances have come as a substitute, and he was nothing short of a revelation at Eintracht Frankfurt with 26 goals and 17 assists from 50 appearances.
Arteta seemingly enjoys the challenge of reviving under-performing players - see Havertz in the second half of last season - so do not be surprised to see Arsenal's name mentioned in more Kolo Muani conversations over the next couple of weeks.
Jonathan David (Lille | 25)
© IconSport
Unlike Vlahovic and Kolo Muani, Lille marksman Jonathan David is now in the last six months of his contract with the 2020-21 Ligue 1 champions, and talk of a new deal has never really taken off.
As a result, Lille will be losing the 25-year-old for nothing this summer unless they can broker a January deal for a cut-price fee, and Arsenal have long been linked with an approach for the Canada international, who has hit double figures in each of his five Ligue 1 seasons.
A loan exit does not make sense for Lille - if they will lose him for free at the end of the season, it would be nonsensical to also lose his goals for the rest of the season - but the Ligue 1 side should not turn their nose up to an appropriate permanent offer in January.
Last summer, it was claimed that £20m could be enough to prise David away from the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, and Lille might even reduce their demands this time around, meaning that finances would not be an issue for Arsenal whatsoever.
The Gunners would therefore also have some cash left over for a marquee signing in the summer, and they could do worse than bring in two new attackers on long-term contracts in 2025 given that Sterling will soon leave, Gabriel Martinelli has struggled for 18 months and Leandro Trossard is in his 30s.
Up until now, any player that signs for Arsenal must tick every box on Arteta's lengthy checklist, but the Gunners manager cannot afford to be so selective this month lest the club risk another wasted winter window.
Ben Knapton
