Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are “ready and open” to signing another attacking player in the January transfer window after it was confirmed that Bukayo Saka will be missing for “many weeks”.

Saka suffered a torn hamstring in Saturday’s victory over Crystal Palace and now faces the longest injury lay-off of his career. The situation has worsened for Arsenal with Raheem Sterling also out for “weeks” at least after suffering a knee injury in training.

The loss of both forwards represents an enormous blow to Arsenal and Arteta as they look to keep pace with league leaders Liverpool over the festive period.

“It is not looking good,” said Arteta of Saka’s injury. “He is going to be out for many weeks. He’s obviously a big player for us – you just have to see the impact that he has on the team. It’s going to be a really good exercise for us to think of ways to overcome another challenge, because we’ve had a lot over the season.

On Saka’s reaction to the injury, Arteta added: “He was gutted. You can tell that he has not been injured [before] because he was really, really emotional and really down. And we need to lift him up. It is a big part of his job. He will be fine but he is going to need a few days.

“He will immediately realise that he is so important in that dressing room. His energy level, his body language, and how he communicates with the rest of the team has to be really good because it is the only way at the moment he can help, so he better do that well.”

There are four options for Arsenal as they attempt to adjust to life without their most effective attacking player.

Strengthen squad in transfer window

Arsenal were not expected to target a new forward in January but their strategy might now have to change, depending on the severity of Sterling’s injury and the availability of potential targets.

Arteta insisted his top priority was to make the most of his available options in his squad but said the club does have the ability to be agile in the upcoming window. He suggested that, prior to Sterling and Saka’s injuries, they were more likely to target a defensive player than a forward.

“The preparation is done and we are ready if something happens,” said Arteta. “Obviously we didn’t predict a situation with Bukayo and Raheem [injured] at the same time. We predicted more it would be something else, for example, if something happened in the defensive line, but the job is done.

“Then, OK, if something has to happen, we will be open. But the main focus is now how we will extract a lot of potential that there is in the squad.”

Much has been made of Arsenal’s supposed need for a new centre-forward but there is a strong argument to be made that they should be more interested in signing a top-class winger. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have not been consistent enough on the left wing, meaning that Arsenal too often rely on Saka to make things happen in attack.

It is far from easy to secure a top player in the January window, but it is not impossible. Arsenal signed Martin Odegaard on loan in January 2021, for example, and that turned out to be the start of a special journey for both the Norwegian and the club. Do not rule out a similar move next month.

Move Jesus to the wing

Arteta said he is currently working on internal solutions for replacing Saka, who has been such an important part of Arsenal’s attack in recent years. So far this season, Saka has scored nine goals and registered 13 assists in 24 club appearances.

“I am putting some ideas together,” Arteta said. “I haven’t got there yet. But I have a few. Then I want to speak with them [his players] as well to understand how we are going to generate that and take it in a positive way. Because that is going to mean we are going to be different.”

If Saka had been injured a week ago, rather than this weekend, then the most obvious candidate to replace him on the right might have been Gabriel Jesus. After back-to-back thrashings of Palace, though, in which Jesus has scored five goals in four days, it is clear that he is now thriving as a central striker.

It is entirely possible that Arteta could ask Jesus to change his position and play out wide, where he regularly impressed for Manchester City earlier in his career, but it would equally be a shame – from Arsenal’s perspective – not to allow the Brazilian to continue to build his momentum in a central position. Jesus is flying. To move him might clip his wings.

Switch Martinelli from left to right

Arteta’s response to losing Saka on Saturday was to move Martinelli from his usual left-wing spot on to the right flank. It is not an area of the pitch in which Martinelli has much experience but he impressed there against Palace, providing accurate crosses and scoring with a close-range finish.

There is an argument to be made that Martinelli would have had more joy playing on the right flank than on the left, where he has been inconsistent in recent weeks. On Arsenal’s right he will be playing alongside their best creative player, Odegaard, and a full-back in Jurrien Timber who creates space with his technical skill and ability to overlap.

If Martinelli played on the right, it would allow Trossard to operate from his preferred left-wing position.

Turn to Sterling, once fit

This has been a difficult campaign for Sterling, who has barely featured for Arsenal since completing his dramatic loan move from Chelsea on deadline day.

Sterling’s chances have been limited because he has effectively been brought in as back-up to Saka on the right flank. Arteta evidently does not consider him to be a serious option on the left wing, where Trossard and Martinelli are competing for that role.

It was telling, for example, that Sterling started on the right wing on the only occasion this season in which Saka was unavailable for a Premier League game. That was against Bournemouth in October, and Sterling’s match lasted only 37 minutes as a red card forced Arteta to reshape his side.

Sterling, in short, was signed to provide cover for Saka in the event of an emergency. Now the emergency has arrived and it feels typical of his misfortune, then, that he is also nursing an injury problem. The 30-year-old picked up an injury in training last week, before the trip to Palace, and faces a spell on the sidelines.

“He needs some further testing tomorrow to understand the extent of the injury,” Arteta said on Tuesday. “It’s his knee and we have to wait another 24 hours, but unfortunately he’s going to be out for a while.”

His recovery from that problem will determine whether he is given an extended run in the team during Saka’s absence.