Arsenal ‘sign’ new striker to solve injury crisis

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 16 Feb 2025 10:54 GMT
• 3 min read

Mikel Arteta may have found a new striker within his own squad to solve his injury crisis in attack.

Arsenal are completely decimated in attack currently as Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling are the club’s only fit forwards.

The three played up front together in Arsenal’s 2-0 win at Leicester on Saturday but there are serious concerns that the Gunners will struggle with so few attacking options in the coming weeks.

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Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are out for the rest of the season, Gabriel Martinelli is missing for a month with a hamstring injury, while Bukayo Saka will not be back until March after surgery on his hamstring.

Arteta is not willing to sign a free agent and instead has admitted that he is considering converting a current player into a striker role.

That player is Riccardo Calafiori, who has lost his place in defence to wonderkid Myles Lewis-Skelly.

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What did Arteta say?

Arteta was asked after the Leicester game by Martin Keown if he may convert Calafiori into a number nine.

“Are you going to find solutions? You said don’t look too deep but being creative. I’ve been looking at Calafiori this week and wondering can he play centre-forward? If Pep (Guardiola) did it, everyone would say ‘oh he’s a genius’,” Keown said during TNT Sports’s coverage.

Arteta replied: “It’s been done in the past and obviously they have this capacity because they become a threat especially within the context of the game with a lot of density in the box against a low block, so it is an option that we have, yeah.”

Calafiori is considered a very adaptable player, already featuring as a centre back, left back, right back and central midfielder in his career.

Indeed, ahead of Euro 2024, he was tested in training as an attacking midfielder by Italy manager Luciano Spalletti.

This suggests that Calafiori may be the new attacking ‘signing’ Arsenal are crying out for!