Huge injury blow for Arsenal: Arteta desperately looking for replacements as key player ruled out

Arsenal forward Kai Havertz is set to miss time due to a knee injury, leaving the club scrambling to bolster their attacking options.

According to The Athletic, The 26-year-old German, absent from Wednesday’s open training session, is under evaluation by Arsenal’s medical team, with no clear timeline for his return.

Havertz came off the bench for summer signing Viktor Gyokeres in the Gunners' season-opening win against Manchester United, a move Mikel Arteta also made in their Emirates Cup victory over Athletic Bilbao, where Havertz scored.

With Gabriel Jesus still unavailable after the ACL injury he sustained in January, Arsenal’s striker depth is stretched thin.

Last season, injuries forced Arteta to use midfielders like Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard as makeshift forwards, which ultimately proved unsuccessful, and Gyokeres was signed to ease such concerns.

However, Havertz’s injury puts immense pressure on the Swede, as the only fit centre-forward to start another gruelling campaign.

Gyokeres was disappointing in the opener against United, and the belief was that Havertz' presence would raise the level of both strikers.

While a replacement is paramount, it remains unclear how much the club are willing to spend on what may prove to be a stopgap depth option.

Arsenal are set to continue their season without Havertz as they face newly-promoted Leeds United on Saturday.