Arsenal suffer injury blow as Mikel Arteta is sets getting a fresh striker for quick replacement before deadline
Gabriel Jesus will play no part against Aston Villa with the Arsenal forward ruled out with a groin injury.
The Brazilian has been plagued by numerous setbacks since joining the Gunners from Manchester City in 2022.
An Arsenal statement on the 27-year-old said: “Gabriel Jesus misses out today due to a slight groin issue.”
It is the sixth injury he has now been sidelined with in the last two years having battled knee and hamstring knocks.
In total, Jesus has been out for 184 days due to injuries – excluding his current problem – resulting in him missing 33 matches for club and country.
His latest knock could see boss Mikel Arteta forced into bringing in a new forward before the window closes next week.
talkSPORT told you earlier in the week that striker Eddie Nketiah is on his way to Nottingham Forest in a deal worth around £30million.
Should Jesus be set for a spell on the sidelines, and Nketiah is sold, it would leave Kai Havertz as the club’s only centre-forward.
Prior to Jesus’ injury, it was understood that Arsenal had no plans to bolster their striking options.
Though that could now all change depending on the severity of Jesus’ knock.
Arsenal face Villa away in the Midlands in Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off where they are out to exact revenge on Unai Emery’s men.
The north Londoners lost twice to the Villans last season, which saw them miss out on a first Premier League title since 2004 by two points to Manchester City.
It’s been a busy summer at the Emirates, with Arsenal close to bringing their total spending to almost £100million.
Arsenal forked out £27million to turn David Raya’s loan spell from Brentford into a permanent stay.
And they then brought in versatile Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori in from Bologna for £38m, with the 22-year-old still waiting to make his debut.
The duo will soon be joined by midfielder Mikel Merino, who helped Spain win the European Championship in Germany last month.
