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Arsenal’s failure to recruit January reinforcements looks more misjudged by the week after news emerged of Kai Havertz’s season-ending injury.
The German international tore his hamstring during the Gunners’ warm-weather training camp in Dubai and will be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign. Further exacerbating Mikel Arteta’s relentless fitness issues, the 25-year-old has joined fellow forwards Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka in the treatment room.
With Havertz and Jesus not returning before the end of the 2024/25 season, Arsenal now have a crisis on their hands. They will have no orthodox strikers available for the remainder of the campaign, with only Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling and Ethan Nwaneri currently available across the forward line.
With the winter window having passed, Arsenal will be forced to promote youth or turn to the free agent market to remedy their issues. The latter could be a genuine option for the injury-stricken Gunners, who are in no position to be picky over emergency cover.
Here are six free agent forwards Arsenal could sign to ease their woes.
Wissam Ben Yedder carved out a reputation as one of Ligue 1’s most prolific sharpshooters during his spell at Monaco. He scored 118 times in 201 appearances for the principality side before his contract expired last summer.
However, he has since been handed a two-year suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of sexual assault in November 2024. Signing the 34-year-old would be a highly controversial decision.
It’s hard to believe that Maxi Gomez is without a club at just 28 years of age after the powerful Uruguayan striker – who has 32 national team appearances under his belt – was tipped for stardom following an impressive stint at Celta Vigo.
He scored 30 goals in two seasons with the Spanish side before a switch to Valencia, where his goalscoring numbers dropped significantly. Gomez found the net 23 times across three full campaigns before moving to Trabzonspor in Turkey, with a year-long loan spell at Cadiz last term proving unsuccessful as he blanked in all 33 appearances for the club.
The fact that Gomez failed to score a single goal last season is alarming but the bulky striker could prove handy in providing Arsenal with a focal point up top.
Mariano Diaz was another tipped for great success in Spanish football after emerging from Real Madrid Castilla. After scoring 32 times in 44 appearances for the reserves, he was promoted to the senior squad and managed five goals in 14 appearances in 2016/17.
An immensely successful season followed on loan at Lyon – the Dominican Republic international netted 21 times – but he was never able to carve a name for himself at the Santiago Bernabeu upon his return to Madrid. Diaz eventually left for Sevilla permanently in 2023/24, where he failed to score in a mere 13 appearances.
The 31-year-old has been without a club ever since and would not be an inspiring addition for Arsenal supporters, even if he proved a competent deputy at times during his spell with Madrid
Well, this would be tasty, wouldn’t it?
Diego Costa, formerly of Chelsea fame, has been unattached since the end of last calendar year, most recently representing Botafogo and Gremio in Brazil. Of course, he also made a brief return to England with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2022/23, scoring just once in 25 outings with the Old Gold.
Costa’s fiery nature and imposing physique always ensures he’s a handful for opposition centre-backs, but this is now a player barely recognisable from his glory days with Chelsea. He’s scored a few during his South American stint, but the 36-year-old’s ineffectiveness at Molineux speaks volumes.
Lucas Perez is a familiar name for Arsenal supporters. The Spaniard briefly turned out for the Gunners, making just 21 appearances and scoring seven during his year with the club. A similarly short spell with West Ham United was followed by a return to Spain and most recently Deportivo La Coruna – where he had originally made his name.
The 36-year-old was playing for the now second division Spaniards as recently as January, scoring four goals and providing as many assists during the first half of 2024/25. However, he left at the beginning of the year due to personal reasons.
Carlos Vela is another former Arsenal man. The 35-year-old made 59 appearances for the Gunners after arriving in north London as a highly-rated prospect from Mexico at the beginning of his career, but discovered his mojo during five years with Real Sociedad.
Vela left San Sebastian for the United States in 2018 as he joined LAFC in MLS. He thrived with the club, scoring 93 times in 188 appearances for them, playing as both a winger and striker during his time in North America.
A return to the Emirates Stadium seems highly improbable, however.