Arsenal's shortened two-man Jesus replacement list after Edu meets Stan Kroenke

 

Arsenal could be forced to delve into the transfer window this January following Gabriel Jesus' knee injury at the World Cup but will be wary of over-spending.

If Arsenal weren't going to look at potential attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window, they may well do now. An injury to Gabriel Jesus has turned the upcoming window on its head and could play a pivotal role in the Premier League title race.

The Gunners forward was confirmed to miss the rest of Brazil's World Cup campaign after being forced off with a knee injury in the 1-0 defeat to Cameroon. Jesus has played a key role in helping Arsenal to their best Premier League start this season with eight goals.

Originally, football.london reported that the striker would only be sidelined for three or four weeks and would only miss the Gunners' Boxing Day clash against West Ham. However, reports in Brazil this morning have suggested the injury is worse than first feared and he could be out until at least March.

Despite having Eddie Nketiah as an internal choice and having the possible option to recall Folarin Balogun from his loan sell at French side Stade Reims, the temptation to dip into the transfer market next month will be there. While the Gunners are likely to wait until the summer to sign a high-profile attacker, there is an opportunity to bring in another goal scorer to ensure there is no drop off in form.

Over the weekend, technical director Edu was pictured meeting with Gunners owner Stan Kroenke and director Josh Kroenke in Los Angeles. They were in attendance to witness LA Rams take on the Seattle Seahawks at the Kroenke-owned SoFi Stadium, but the talking matter of replacing Jesus is almost certain to have been brought up during discussions.

Here, football.london have taken a look at five players who could be of interest to Mikel Arteta and Edu:

Marcus Thuram

Thuram's contract at Borussia Monchengladbach expires at the end of the season meaning the German side could be forced to accept an offer if made. Arsenal have been linked with the French striker for some time but are set to face competition.

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich have reportedly offered Thuram a 'lucrative' five-year deal for the summer, continuing their tradition of snapping up their rivals' best players. However, there doesn't seem to be any concrete interest from the player in a move to Munich, leaving the door open for Arsenal.

Thuram doesn't look set to extend his stay with Gladbach meaning Arsenal could tempt them in selling the striker next month for a cheap fee.

Noah Okafor

One of Europe's hottest talents, Okafor has attracted interest from several top clubs after his performances for Red Bull Salzburg. The Gunners have been joined by Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea after being impressed with his 13 goal involvements this season.

Before Okafor's outings in the World Cup for Switzerland, Salzburg hierarchy had reportedly slapped a £30million price tag on their striker and rightly so. Since he signed from FC Basel, the 22-year-old has been involved in 54 goals in 100 games. Quite astonishing.

However, the Swiss forward seems to be more of a signing for the future. Jesus is only 25 and Nketiah is 23, meaning the Gunners lack an experienced head in that forward line. Bringing in another player aged below 23 may be frowned upon despite Nketiah's impressive form in front of goal towards the end of last season.