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Arsenal is in desperate need of some good fortune on the injury front, but could it come in January?
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side has dealt with its fair share of injury troubles this season. Plus, a bug is sweeping through the squad, and Kai Havertz has missed the last couple of games.
Even skipper Martin Odegaard, who was a substitute in the 1-1 draw at Brighton, wasn't feeling well, but due to a lack of numbers, was placed on the bench and even played.
One could be fairly confident in saying that if there were ample bodies available, Odegaard wouldn't have taken his place in the line-up.
So now we get to the big issue of the season: Should Arsenal invest in January to keep this faltering title challenge alive?
In a nutshell, it would be easy to say go out and buy two to three players to immediately plug holes in the side, but as we know, in January, player prices skyrocket, and we know that Arteta won't buy for the sake of it, there must be a role for said player when the injured players return.
Additionally, will the club want to spend ample funds now and potentially leave themselves short in the summer?
Arteta stated via arsenal.com that "we cannot make a decision based on one performance" when asked if the team needs a signing in January post-game after the draw with Brighton, but we are quickly running out of available players to rotate through this condensed fixture schedule.
Already with a herculean task of reeling in league leaders Liverpool who are six points clear of Arsenal in second with a game in hand if the squad was healthy and everyone was available, but now? It's a seriously tough ask.
Even more so if reinforcements aren't brought in. But again, who is out there that is one, available at a reasonable price, and two, who will be able to come in and instantly make an impact?
There are ample options, like Nico Williams, Alexander Isak, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as our own Kian Long mentioned, but they would require significant investment, and we aren't sure the Gunners are ready or willing to part with such funds in the middle of a season.
Either way something must be done because as things stand, Arsenal's title challenge is laying on the canvas struggling to make the 10 count, and all it will take is one more significant injury to knock the Gunners out of title contention if they aren't already.