Arsenal could be active in the January transfer window as they seek cover for the injured Gabriel Jesus.
It was confirmed earlier this week that the 25-year-old underwent surgery after sustaining medial ligament damage during Brazil's 1-0 World Cup defeat to Cameroon and the main concern is that reports have suggested that he could now be out of action for as long as three months.
Should that be the case, the Gunners will almost certainly have to dip into the transfer market as manager Mikel Arteta doesn't have many options beyond Eddie Nketiah in terms of natural centre-forwards to call upon, although he could experiment with Emile Smith Rowe or Gabriel Martinelli.
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Interestingly, following the 3-0 win over Lyon on Thursday, the Spaniard answered questions about Jesus' injury for the first time post-surgery as he revealed Arsenal's January transfer plans: "What it affects is who we are as a team because he gives us so much. What we can do after that when we know the timescale better and we have when we can have him back we will look at the options and try to make the right decisions," he said. "We look at the squad and see what options we have our with the players we have available.
"There are things we can try, we have the need to do so. I feel my squad is really good, and unfortunately we’ve had injuries, but we will see what we can do to be stronger. We have a lot of players, we have a lot of academy players. We have the players who can give us the performances and the consistency to maintain or improve from where we are."
Whilst Arteta may have hinted at internal solutions to cope with Jesus' absence, if the latest transfer rumours are to be believed, then he and sporting director Edu Gaspar are in agreement that the Netherlands international Memphis Depay would be the perfect signing in January.
According to Tutto Juve, the Barcelona striker 'fits best for Arsenal since his profile is similar to the Brazilian, and he has 'a lot of mobility' and 'great sense' to score goals. Furthermore, with the forward's Barcelona contract expiring next summer, he could be available for a cut-price fee in January.
However, Memphis' recent injury record might alter the opinion that he'd be the ideal signing next month as thanks to transfermarkt, a detailed report of the forward's injury history doesn't make good reading as he's struggled with one particular problem throughout his career.
Though it's safe to say the 28-year-old is far from injury prone, the majority of his fitness issues have been thigh-related as he's only just recovered from one that kept him sidelined for almost two months, missing 12 Barcelona games in the process and just about making the Netherlands' World Cup squad.
That's only the second-highest number of games he's missed during his career to date, but what could concern Arsenal fans is that thigh-related injuries are becoming something of a recurring theme since the very first 2013/14 season when he was playing for PSV Eindhoven.
When fit, Memphis would certainly be a welcome addition to the Arsenal squad. But the fact he has already missed 12 games this season with a thigh injury proves the issue remains and pursuing a deal in January could be a huge risk on the Gunners' behalf and therefore it could convince Arteta and Edu to perform a u-turn and look elsewhere.
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