Kai Havertz is reportedly set to miss the rest of the season after the forward picked up an injury during Arsenal’s mid-season trip to Dubai.
The German has led the line for Arsenal this season and has found the back of the net 15 times across all competitions.
Arsenal are battling with Liverpool for the Premier League title and have already qualified for the Champions League last-16 after finishing third in the initial phase.
But their trophy chances have been handed a hefty blow after it was reported Havertz won’t feature for the Gunners again this term.
The Athletic are reporting Havertz has suffered a serious hamstring tear and could yet be forced to undergo surgery to fix the problem.
Even if he doesn’t go under the knife, it’s reported that Havertz’s sole focus is now fixed on preparing himself for the start of the 2025/26 season, which is still six months away.
It comes after the capital club took a gamble and opted out of signing a striker in the January window, despite existing concerns over injured forward players.
Bukayo Saka has been missing since mid-December after the Englishman went down with a hamstring problem, with his return to action not expected to come until March at the earliest.
Gabriel Martinelli also picked up a hamstring problem in the recent second-leg defeat against Newcastle United, whereas compatriot Gabriel Jesus has already been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
Speaking after the window shut, Mikel Arteta said: “We had a clear intention which is obvious. There is a window open to explore the possibilities to improve our squad with players that can impact it. We haven’t achieved it.
“So we are disappointed in that sense but as well we are very aware that we only want to bring certain kind of players. We have to be very disciplined with that as well and I think we were.
“I wouldn’t like to go into too much detail. We couldn’t do it for certain reasons and we have to accept it, that’s it. It was a combination of things.”
It leaves Arterta scratching around looking for a solution to Arsenal’s injury problem in attack, with Ethan Nwaneri expected to feature more in the starting XI.
The 17-year-old has started three Premier League matches this season and netted seven goals across all competitions so far.
Arsenal now face an uphill battle to regain a foothold in the Premier League title race, with Liverpool currently six points clear of Arteta’s side.
That advantage can stretch to nine points should the Merseyside outfit beat rivals Everton at Goodison Park tonight (Wednesday).
Arsenal return to Premier League action after a two-week hiatus against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
