Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has refused to close the door on the Gunners signing a free agent to tide them over in the wake of Kai Havertz's season-ending hamstring injury.
The North London giants confirmed on Thursday that the Germany international would undergo surgery on the issue that he sustained in Dubai and will not play again for the remainder of the campaign.
Havertz is now one of four key attackers sidelined for Arsenal, who are also missing Gabriel Jesus (ACL) and Bukayo Saka (hamstring) for the long-term, while Gabriel Martinelli's own hamstring injury will keep him out for a few weeks.
The Gunners failed to add to their attacking ranks in the January window - a move that has now backfired horribly - but the club can still look to the free agent market for reinforcements between now and the end of the season.
The likes of Diego Costa and Ryan Kent are available, as is Wissam Ben Yedder, who according to Gianluca Di Marzio will not be signing for Serie A side Venezia despite negotiations initially heading in a positive direction.
Arteta discusses free agent and Dowman possibility
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Speaking to reporters in Friday's pre-Leicester City press conference, Arteta did not rule out the possibility of signing an unattached player, saying: "I explore every possible situation and make a decision from there."
For the time being, Arsenal will be expected to deploy a threadbare attack of Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling, with Nathan Butler-Oyedeji and Ismeal Kabia providing youthful backup.
However, there have also been calls from Gooners to introduce 15-year-old academy sensation Max Dowman, who earlier this season became the youngest-ever scorer in the UEFA Youth League.
Dowman - who has been labelled the 'next Kaka' - cannot currently feature in the Premier League as things stand, though, as rules stipulate that a player must have been 15 years old by August 31, 2024 to feature in the 2024-25 season.
The 2009-born protege only celebrated his 15th birthday in December, and Arteta has suggested that Dowman will not be a solution, adding: "We have Max, many other kids there, it was a big opportunity to see him in that environment. It's clear on the rules about age restrictions."
Arsenal receive injury boost for Leicester clash despite Havertz blow
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Nevertheless, it is not all doom and gloom on the Arsenal injury front, as Arteta confirmed that Ben White is available to make his comeback from a knee operation in Saturday's clash with the Foxes.
The England international has been absent since going under the knife in November, but he trained with the rest of the team in Dubai and will be an option to face the Foxes.
"Ben White is in training more regularly now. We have to manage his load, but he is available," Arteta added, before going into more depth about Saka's recovery from a hamstring procedure.
"It's too early, he's in early stage of rehab. When he's closer, doing more workload, we will see how he is," the Spaniard said after Saka was seen stepping up his recovery in the Middle East.
Arsenal go into the weekend seven points behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, but they will reduce the deficit down to four with a win at Leicester, who have lost each of their last four Premier League home games without scoring.
Ben Knapton
