-Credit:Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Liverpool may well have been taken aback when it saw the strength of Mikel Arteta’s line-up in the third round of the FA Cup. Admittedly, Arsenal had drawn Manchester United rather than Accrington Stanley, but the statement of intent always looked like a risk — and it backfired almost at once, with another serious injury raising questions about whether the Gunners will use the January transfer market.
Gabriel Jesus was forced off the field shortly before half-time against Manchester United. Arteta admitted the injury is “not looking good at all”, and there are fears now that it could be a ruptured ACL.
Naturally, this will not have been celebrated in the slightest at Anfield, with news of such a horror injury never welcome. Like Jurgen Klopp before him, Arne Slot would no doubt emphasize the need to prioritize player welfare, and nobody wants to see the Premier League title settled by fitness setbacks.
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But the long and short of the outcome is clear. After a wholly unwanted 120 minutes, Arsenal has lost a forward who was just coming into some sort of form — and it is out of the FA Cup anyway.
All of this comes with Bukayo Saka still sidelined indefinitely, and young hope Ethan Nwaneri out as well. The one potential silver lining is that this has happened in January, potentially giving Arteta the option of dipping into the transfer market to revitalize the race with Liverpool.
But will Arsenal be active? Arteta has said the club is looking, but that the injury to Jesus has not altered plans:
“My answer doesn’t change,” he told a press conference. “We are actively looking into the market to improve the squad.
“We always have been. It would be naïve not to. We are looking and we are trying, so let’s see what we can do.
“To recruit a player there are three parties who have to agree to that. The fact I love my players doesn’t mean we can’t think about improving. We do daily and when the market comes around we have to make sure we have the best resources and capacity to compete the way that we want to.”
Gabriel Jesus faces a grim prognosis after being forced off through injury in Arsenal’s defeat to Man United. -Credit:Alex Pantling/Getty Images
With that in mind, it would be a surprise to see Arsenal remain inactive in the January transfer window. But it is one thing to strengthen the squad, and quite another to find the right signing to breathe life into a title challenge.
Generally quiet in the winter window, Liverpool knows the challenges of conducting transfer business mid-season. There have been success stories, not least Luis Diaz, but it is rare for an addition to radically turn the tide.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s run-out in the FA Cup was a reminder of the exciting options still at Slot’s disposal. Jayden Danns, Wataru Endo and Rio Ngumoha aren’t exactly “like new signings”, as the cliche goes, but all have been relatively unused so far this season, and all could at some point be called upon to inject fresh impetus in the bid for title number 20 (though there has been talk of a loan for Danns).
Tonight, an unlikely top-of-the-table clash against Nottingham Forest beckons. Win that, and Liverpool would be forgiven for feeling like all of its rivals are falling away, regardless of what Arteta and Arsenal can conjur in the transfer market.
Liverpool.com says: First and foremost, my thoughts go to Gabriel Jesus. It’s rotten luck for a player who was really starting to hit form.
But it’s hard to deny the impact this could have on the title race. With Arteta’s options limited, even more strain will fall on the core group.
In that sense, being out of the FA Cup might at least be a blessing. But Arsenal will probably need to absolutely ace the January transfer window in order to stand a chance of keeping pace with Liverpool, with all eyes on the Emirates over the next fortnight.