Kai Havertz looks set to miss the rest of the season after sustaining a torn hamstring during Arsenal's warm-weather training camp in Dubai.

The Gunners squad jetted off to Dubai last week following their Carabao Cup semi-final defeat at Newcastle and it had been hoped the time away from competitive action would give everyone a much-needed lift ahead of the last few months of the 2024/25 season. Havertz's injury is a real blow, however, with the German's focus now on getting fit for the start of the 2025-26 season, according to The Athletic.

With Arsenal failing to sign a striker in January, Mikel Arteta is likely to be without a senior striker for the rest of the campaign. Gabriel Jesus is already out with a knee injury, while Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are also currently sidelined through injury. It means Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling are the only senior attacking options for the foreseeable, while 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri can also operate across the frontline.

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So, who should Arteta turn to as Arsenal's striker for the remainder of the season? Should the Gunners look to sigh a free agent, or look to promote a forward from the academy? football.london's writers have their say below.

Sam Truelove

What a nightmare scenario this is for Mikel Arteta. Kai Havertz had been a mainstay in the Arsenal team and, for the most part, had remained injury-free. That's until now.

For me, Leandro Trossard seems a sensible option going forward. Against Leicester, I would play the Belgian as somewhat of a false nine, with Raheem Sterling on the left and Ethan Nwaneri on the right. Sterling, in particular, should get more gametime in the coming weeks given the injuries and the Englishman must grab the opportunity with both hands.

I would not panic and sign a free agent, either, although some may like to see Diego Costa in an Arsenal shirt. I would use this as an opportunity to give Nathan Butler-Oyedeji some minutes, though. The 22-year-old is an academy forward who has been on the bench a number of times for the first team this season and probably deserves a chance.

The forward, who can play on the left and centrally, did come on to make his debut for the club against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League last month so clearly is in Arteta's thoughts. He has eight goals and six assists for Arsenal U21s this season so knows where the net is and could be somewhat of a wildcard option.

Tom Coley

This unfortunate incident has exposed Arsenal's summer more than it has the January window just gone. A new striker was needed to compete with Havertz then and that has remained the case ever since.

Injury to Jesus only heightened the need but it was obvious before then. Jesus has struggled for form and fitness during much of the last 12 months (at least) and it has left Havertz without the required support. Solving this when Viktor Gyokeres and Co were there to get should have been of paramount importance.

Instead, Arsenal's decision to strengthen the defence again has been proven to be misguided. In hindsight it is easy to say but Arsenal have left themselves short and were certainly warned.

Now what? Trossard or Martinelli have to be the go-to replacements in the short-term. Both have played up front before but neither are close to being what Havertz is. It's either that or turn to an academy player. There isn't anyone smashing the door down, even if Butler-Oyedeji does have an impressive portfolio behind him this season.

Amie Wilson

Arsenal will probably be left cursing their luck at both the injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz and the timing of them. The fact that Arteta will be left without a senior striker for the rest of the season, without a chance to replace them in the window (apart from free agents), means that they will just have to adapt.

Looking at the free agent market there is not too much choice, so I don’t think it’s an avenue that Arsenal should go down. Instead I think it will be a matter of having to play a player out of position.

Against Leicester and for the next few games that will have to be either Leandro Trossard or Ethan Nwaneri playing in a more central position. I would lean towards Trossard, given Nwaneri’s age and lack of experience. When Martinelli returns from injury he could become another option to play centrally.

The situation does also give the chance to promote academy players. It would be good to see one or two named on the bench and given a chance to impress.

Joe Doyle

Unfortunately for Arsenal, their January inactivity has come back to bite them almost immediately. It was an issue almost everyone could have predicted, and now Mikel Arteta will be left counting the cost before the end of the season.

The free agent market just isn't worth it for the Gunners at the moment. They'll have to make do with square pegs in round holes.

I'd currently be wary of promoting any more young players into the first-team at an advanced pace; we've seen just how patient Arteta has been with blooding Ethan Nwaneri. Pushing an academy player straight into spearheading the attack in the knockout rounds of the Champions League is pressure that simply doesn't bear thinking about.

For me, Arteta will have to go down the false nine or two 10s route - with Leandro Trossard either on his own in a central area or partnered with Martin Odegaard. There really aren't too many options, but this seems the best of a bad bunch.

Tom Canton

I am about at the end of what I would call my tether when it comes to this season. Nothing in sport are you entitled to but when a team experiences this level of bad luck, I can empathise with those who have indeed given up.

Losing Kai Havertz to this type of injury is nuts and quite frankly exposes the rather ridiculous decision not to find at least someone in the short term this winter to come in to the side. The free-agent market offers next to nothing and to be honest I think in these situations you need to give chances to the youth players.

The front three this weekend will be Ethan Nwaneri, Raheem Sterling and Leandro Trossard. But on the bench will be the youth players who need to be blooded quickly in order for Arsenal to somehow navigate through the next month-plus until both Gabriel Martinelli, and then perhaps soon after, Bukayo Saka, returns.