The fixes so far have worked, with the Gunners going seven league games unbeaten since December's 5-1 win at Crystal Palace in which Saka was taken off on a stretcher, but now the resources really are at breaking point.
Saka is expected to remain sidelined for another month, while Gabriel Martinelli is also out until close to the March international break and Gabriel Jesus is a long-term absentee with a knee injury.
These injuries, and not signing a frontline forward in the last three transfer windows, leaves Arteta with just three available attackers in Leandro Trossard, 17-year-old Nwaneri and a low-on-confidence Raheem Sterling. It is a major blow ahead of a crucial final three months of the season.
Liverpool are six points clear at the top of the Premier League table, ahead of their game in hand at Everton tonight.
Kai Havertz is out for the rest of the season in the latest blow to Arsenal's forward line
Bukayo Saka is still around a month away from returning from the injury he suffered in December
Bukayo Saka is still around a month away from returning from the injury he suffered in December
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And the Gunners also have the Champions League — their best shot at a trophy this season — to contend with, where they will face one of Juventus, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven or Feyenoord in the last 16.
So, how do they manage this crucial period with such a gaping hole up front? Here, Mail Sport looks at the six attacking avenues Arteta can go down to keep Arsenal’s season alive.
1. The final three
On paper, a front three of Nwaneri, Trossard and Sterling appears the most likely route Arteta will go down, as his only remaining forward options.
Trossard had a quiet first half of the season amid suggestions that he was nearing the exit, but has upped the ante of late thanks to getting a run in the team on the left wing. Martinelli manned the right flank until he got injured in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Newcastle.
The Belgian provided two assists against Aston Villa last month, and in the 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City Trossard looked sprightly on the ball and had an influence on Arsenal’s build-up play.
Ever since Nwaneri made his first Premier League start against Brentford on New Year’s Day, the 17-year-old has looked a special talent.
He has grown in confidence by the game and contributed goals in the Premier League against Brighton and Manchester City in recent weeks, with his curling effort from outside the box against the champions receiving many plaudits.
Nwaneri is a teenager so he is still developing, but he has already proven he is ready for this level, with seven goals in all competitions and a genuine threat in place of Saka on the right wing.
Ethan Nwaneri has stepped up at the age of just 17, but he is still developing at his young age
Raheem Sterling has flattered to deceive in his loan spell from Chelsea, with just one goal
Where the real question mark arises is Sterling. The 82-cap England winger, who joined the Gunners on loan from Chelsea on deadline day last summer, has been underwhelming to say the least.
Aside from a goal and an assist against League One side Bolton in the Carabao Cup third round, Sterling has struggled to make an impact.
That burst of pace and dribbling skill which used to frighten defenders has not been seen, while a disappointing campaign was summed up with a missed penalty at Girona in the final league phase game in the Champions League.
Five months into his loan spell, can the 30-year-old finally come good? Time is running out.
2. Convert a full back into a winger
Kieran Tierney was a forgotten man until recently, but since returning from a hamstring problem in late November when Arsenal's injury crisis was already hitting hard, he has been an ever-present on the bench.
He was a consistent figure in Arteta's first three-and-a-half seasons, but his struggle to play in the inverted manner the Spaniard demands of his full backs, as well as injuries, saw him slide down the pecking order.
But in every crisis there is opportunity, and when Tierney has played this season, he has often been stationed on the left wing.
When Arsenal needed to see out games against Tottenham and Wolves in January he was brought off the bench and on to the wing, being chosen ahead of Sterling at Molineux as the Gunners battled to a crucial 1-0 win.
Kieran Tierney has been used regularly on the left wing off the bench this season
Kieran Tierney has been used regularly on the left wing off the bench this season
Riccardo Calafiori offers an attacking option, scoring at Wolves and Manchester City this season
But far from being just a defensive option, he also offers attacking threat. In the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace in December, Tierney found himself on the left wing in the second half and played some eye-catching crosses into the box.
The Scot does have a good delivery on him and a knack for getting to the byline. He has a pre-contract agreement to join Celtic in the summer but before then, a string of performances on the left wing could be some way to depart.
Another option is Riccardo Calafiori. As seen by his stunning strikes against Manchester City and Wolves, the Italian has an eye for goal and is attack-minded.
Myles Lewis-Skelly has taken the left back position from the £42million Italian in recent weeks. In the short term, left wing could be Calafiori's way back into the team.
3. Draft in an academy player
The academy has come to the rescue this season in the form of Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly. Could it do so again?
There are attacking options from the academy who have made the first-team bench in recent months. The main two are Nathan Butler-Oyedeji and Ismael Kabia, who were on Arsenal’s recent trip to Dubai.
Butler-Oyedeji has struck an impressive seven goals and six assists in 10 Under 21 league games this season, and made his senior debut in stoppage time against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League last month.
At 22, the forward is at an age where he should be ready if called upon. Of course, performing in the Under 21 league doesn’t automatically correlate to success in first-team football – the two are completely different.
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji (right) has made the first-team bench regularly this season
Nathan Butler-Oyedeji (right) has made the first-team bench regularly this season
Ismeal Kabia has electric pace and made his senior debut against Bolton in September
Ismeal Kabia has electric pace and made his senior debut against Bolton in September
Kabia has been impacted by injury this season but when he’s played in the academy, he has performed well.
The 19-year-old provided four assists in five UEFA Youth League games — the Under 19 version of the Champions League — and has electric pace.
A wildcard would be Charles Sagoe Jr. He made his Arsenal senior debut in a League Cup tie at Brentford in September 2023, but his career has been on a downward trajectory since then.
The 20-year-old went on loan to Championship side Swansea in the second half of last season, making just two appearances, and then moved to League One strugglers Shrewsbury Town on a season-long loan in August but returned to Arsenal in January. He failed to register a goal or an assist in either loan stint.
4. A wildcard up front
In some sections of Arsenal’s fanbase, the jury is still out on Mikel Merino.
The £32m signing has taken time to find his feet in north London, following much excitement after his performances for Spain at Euro 2024.
As a left-sided central midfielder, he has occasionally looked like a goal threat and possesses a trait which mirrors Havertz - his hold-up play.
At 6ft 2in, Merino is a force to be reckoned with in the air and does not shy away from getting stuck in. The 28-year-old played in an advanced position behind Havertz at Bournemouth in October and has found the net from set-pieces against Liverpool and Brentford.
Could Mikel Merino be repurposed as a centre forward in the absence of a link-up man?
Could Mikel Merino be repurposed as a centre forward in the absence of a link-up man?
Merino has an eye for goal from set-pieces, scoring against Liverpool and Brentford
Merino has an eye for goal from set-pieces, scoring against Liverpool and Brentford
Only Calafiori and centre back Gabriel have won a higher percentage of their aerial duels for Arsenal this season.
Clips of Merino marauding forward in his Real Sociedad days have circulated on social media of late. Could he be Arsenal's answer to Marouane Fellaini?
5. A whole new formation
Arteta is wedded to his 4-3-3 system, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
He could deploy a 4-4-2 with Nwaneri and Trossard playing as strikers, Sterling on the right wing and either Calafiori or Lewis-Skelly on the left.
Lewis-Skelly played in midfield in his academy days so can adapt to a position higher up the pitch, while Nwaneri operated up front in Arsenal's Under 14 and Under 15 sides.
The problem here lies in the lack of physicality up front. Both Nwaneri and Trossard are skilful players with pace, and are 5ft 9in and 5ft 8in respectively. The lack of a hold-up man, like 6ft 4in Havertz, could be a problem in such a setup.
An alternative formation is 3-5-2. William Saliba, Gabriel and Calafiori could make up the back three, with Lewis-Skelly and Jurrien Timber as the wing-backs.
That would allow Arteta to pick just two of Nwaneri, Trossard and Sterling as his two strikers. This approach would be defensively very solid, but it could limit Arsenal's attacking output and chances.
6. Diving into the free agent market
Diego Costa has a long history with Arsenal - but could he bail them out of a crisis?
Diego Costa has a long history with Arsenal - but could he bail them out of a crisis?
Carlos Vela, who scored 11 goals for the club after joining in 2005, is another free agent striker
Carlos Vela, who scored 11 goals for the club after joining in 2005, is another free agent striker
This, admittedly, is getting to the stage where we are clutching at straws. The transfer window is closed, which means that if Arsenal want to bring in an emergency forward, they would have to be a free agent.
Mind you, some of the names are interesting. Ex-Gunner Carlos Vela, 35, who was at the club from 2005 to 2012, is an option. The 35-year-old left Los Angeles FC last month.
Another is their former nemesis, Diego Costa. The 36-year-old former Chelsea man was notorious for his antics but scored 52 goals in 89 Premier League appearances for the Blues, before a less successful return to England with Wolves in 2022-23, when he found the net just once in 25 games.
He most recently played for Brazilian side Gremio. If Costa made a return to the Premier League, for Arsenal, at the very least it would make every game unmissable.
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