Following news of Gabriel Jesus’ lengthy knee injury earlier this month, Arsenal are now determined to sign a striker before the end of the January transfer window.
Thus far, it’s been a relatively frustrating hunt for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal’s transfer team, who are unable to sign either of their top targets.
RB Leipzig want to keep Benjamin Sesko and there’s also no realistic prospect of tempting Alexander Isak away from Newcastle United this month.
Arsenal will continue to chase both in the summer, but that won’t help their quest to add goals right now.
That being said, many have pointed to Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson as being a potential option on a short-term basis this month.
Ferguson isn’t starting regularly for Brighton and might be well suited to acting as Kai Havertz’s alternative.
Evan Ferguson says no to Tottenham after strong interest from Arsenal
That being said, Arsenal wouldn’t currently be able to sanction a move for Ferguson on loan given they already have both Raheem Sterling and Neto on loan from Premier League sides.
Arsenal Insider understands that the club will not be cancelling Sterling or Neto’s loan this month to make way for another move as things stand.
READ MORE: Fabrizio Romano shares massive transfer update about Arsenal and Jhon Duran of Aston Villa
Although there is still some good news from an Arsenal fan point of view in terms of Ferguson, who is not interested in joining rivals Tottenham Hotspur this month.
Given injuries at Spurs, including a knee issue for Dominic Solanke, Arsenal’s rivals are also in the market for a new forward.
But according to the Telegraph, Ferguson isn’t interested in a move to N17.
The Republic of Ireland international would be ‘reluctant’ to head to Tottenham because of the competition that exists at the club already.
Richarlison is now back available and Solanke will return to fitness in around five weeks time.
Edu Gaspar’s Arsenal legacy continues to be tarnished
Of course, some Arsenal fans might be very frustrated with Edu Gaspar’s decision to sanction a last minute loan for Neto in particular with the benefit of hindsight.
Edu made a big mistake signing Neto given that the goalkeeper, who was predominantly signed to play in cup competitions, hasn’t even been eligible for the Carabao Cup.
Ferguson appears like the perfect short-term solution for Arsenal this month but they simply can’t execute another domestic loan.
Sterling hasn’t made an impact at Arsenal either, but at least there was optimism that he could make a difference when he signed, even if things have transpired otherwise.
A frustrating situation for Arsenal’s new transfer team, who have a difficult task to find a different striker before next week.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
