DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - FEBRUARY 07: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during a training session at NAS Sports Complex on February 07, 2025 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
09:11, 12 Feb 2025
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Mikel Arteta frustration with Arsenal's latest injury crsis is clear, with Kai Havertz now facing a spell on the sidelines.
Havertz had been the Gunners' only fit striker, with Gabriel Jesus having ruptured his ACL in early January. They did push to sign a new forward in the January transfer window, but saw a £60million bid for Ollie Watkins rejected by Aston Villa.
A move for a new attacker has been shelved until the summer window, leaving Arteta to rely on Havertz. But a nightmare scenario has now played out, with the German having suffered a hamstring injury at Arsenal's Dubai training camp.
The 25-year-old suffered the issue in a session earlier this week. There has been no official update from Arsenal about his condition but it would appear to put him in doubt for this weekend's trip to Leicester.
It is a situation that will surely annoy Arteta, who had expressed disappointment when a striker failed to arrive in January. The Spaniard delivered an honest assessment of the transfer window ahead of the defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.
"We had a clear intention which is there is a window open. For the players that can impact it, we haven't achieved it. We are disappointed. But we are very aware that we only want to bring certain types of player," he said.
"The intention the improve the squad if we have the capacity to do it. We focus in the things that we have to continue to do. It was a combination of things. That wasn't an issue with any player that we were trying to find.
Havertz has picked up a hamstring issue during Arsena's Dubai camp
"I think Kai has played so many games and been so important when some big players weren't available."
With no new signings in the winter window, Arteta instead selected a number of youngsters to travel to Dubai. It is an experience that Under-21s boss Mehmet Ali believes will be vital for the academy players and for the first team.
“It’s different for different players,” Ali said. “You’ve got some of the younger ones who are coming for the first time, getting a feel for what it takes to be an Arsenal first-team player, and then you’ve got some of the older lads who have been in and around supporting them before.
“Ultimately, it’s about these guys coming to Dubai and trying to absorb as much information as they can from Mikel, all of the first team staff and of course all of the players. It’s about learning, developing and facilitating the first-team.
“It’s an invaluable experience. I always feel when you’re away in a 24-hour setting with the first-team, it’s like three months of development in a week simply because you’re picking up so much information subconsciously and consciously.”
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