January is a time of new beginnings, and that should certainly be the case with Arsenal. Mikel Arteta’s side may top both the Premier League and Champions League tables, but there is an understanding that they are there in spite of a few factors.
Injuries, for one. In their 19 Premier League matchdays so far this season, Arsenal have been without four first-team players due to injury nine times and without five first-team players due to injury on seven occasions. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz often counted for at least one of these absences throughout 2025, but the 4-1 win over Aston Villa on Matchday 19 was the first time this term that both, finally, were fit enough to make the matchday squad.
Jesus got his crowning moment, scoring a lovely goal just 25 seconds after replacing Viktor Gyokeres, but Havertz’s presence on the bench would have been just as significant to Arteta.
Speaking in December, the Arsenal manager said: “The whole summer I was thinking, ‘If we bring in a No 9, what is going to happen with Gabi (Jesus) and Kai? I have a lot of nines. I like them so much. What are we going to do? How are we going to handle it?’.
“So far, we haven’t had a problem because they’ve been injured. So, live the present, live the moment, and deal with the situation when it comes.”
Havertz was an unused substitute in Arsenal’s win against Aston Villa (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Arteta did not have selection headaches up front in 2025, but that ‘situation’ is now here with the New Year. Gyokeres is not yet meeting expectations despite having a free run at the position when fit, Jesus has impressed every time he has taken to the pitch since returning, and Havertz is now even closer to making his comeback.
This weekend’s trip to Bournemouth could signify the first time this dilemma really hits Arteta, but it is a useful problem to have in a month when Arsenal play nine matches across four competitions.
The impressive elements of Jesus’ recent appearances would not have come as a surprise to those who remember what he is like at his best. Arteta spoke about the Brazil forward’s ability to ‘connect with people and generate uncertainty in the opponent’ before his return, and that has been evident in all four of his cameos off the bench as well as in his Carabao Cup quarter-final start against Crystal Palace.
His initial introduction against Club Brugge brought life to Arsenal’s attack, as he managed to fashion chances for himself in a way that Gyokeres has struggled to. Rather than being a man to solely get on the end of an attacking move, Jesus was actively part of them. He did not score against Palace, but the 28-year-old managed more shots in that start (five) than Gyokeres has in all but one of his starts this season (six away to Newcastle United).
Jesus scored against Aston Villa almost immediately after coming on for Gyokeres (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
With the confidence that comes from scoring a goal like his against Villa, now feels like the right time to harness Jesus’ energy from the start of a Premier League match.
Havertz’s reintegration will likely be gradual, as Jesus’ has been, but he will bring something different that Arsenal have missed: presence.
Not only is Gyokeres stylistically different from Havertz, but there are aspects of centre-forward play that have gone amiss with the German’s absence.
For example, Gyokeres has struggled to replicate Havertz’s ability to hold up the ball and provide a platform for Arsenal to attack from. Keep your eyes on Gyokeres when it is time for him to make the ball stick, and he rarely anticipates contact from an opposition player well enough to keep the ball. That was the case aerially against Everton, but also on the ground against Aston Villa, as seen below.
By contrast, Arsenal have started some games by deliberately playing long to Havertz with the knowledge that he could use his frame to protect the ball and set the tone.
In other instances, that ability to keep the ball under pressure in midfield creates more space for wide players such as Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Martinelli to exploit in behind.
Arteta’s thoughts may not have to be on whether he picks just one of these three strikers to start, though.
He has shown in previous seasons that he is not against playing two centre-forwards, with Havertz and Trossard being the preferred partnership whenever he has. The pair initially dovetailed up front after a Jesus injury in the 2023-24 season, and contributed to 6-0, 5-0 and 6-0 wins over West Ham, Burnley and Sheffield United. Jorginho was the midfielder sacrificed from the starting line-up at the time, and the season after, it was the injured Martin Odegaard. While the 4-4-2 got stale after a while, it initially worked, with Trossard crossing for Havertz’s goal against Paris Saint-Germain in October an example of how they worked well at the time.
Partnerships between Havertz, Jesus and/or Gyokeres would no doubt work differently and potentially need time to click.
Havertz’s ability to ghost into the box unmarked had previously worked well in tandem with Jesus, with the Brazilian assisting a couple of his early Arsenal goals with deft flicks into the six-yard box.
Whether Gyokeres and Havertz could work together, and which midfielder would drop out, is more of an unknown. Having somebody to bounce off could help Gyokeres, who has had most of his touches this season inside the centre of the penalty area.
By comparison, most of Havertz’s touches last season were deeper and towards the right wing, which could help unlock the Swede.
And if Arteta decides to play two of these three strikers together, it could provide opportunities to rest either Martin Zubimendi or Declan Rice.
Zubimendi is Arsenal’s most-used outfield player in all competitions this season (2,021 minutes), and even had to play an hour in the only league game he did not start (at home to West Ham) because Martin Odegaard went off injured. At a few points already this season, the 26-year-old has missed training sessions because of load management, as he has also started five of Spain’s six internationals this season.
Rice, who Arsenal will hope has recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of the win over Aston Villa, is Arsenal’s second-most-used outfield player (1,928 minutes). Like Zubimendi, Arteta tried to manage his minutes by starting him on the bench against Nottingham Forest in September.
Even if Arteta doesn’t use two strikers, having three contrasting options will be beneficial. If one does not suit the way a match is headed, he now has ways to change the pattern.
There is also the prospect of any of these three options hitting better form than Gyokeres’ five league goals (Gyokeres included). Alongside the injuries they have faced, the fact Arsenal are top of the league at the halfway point with that return from their centre-forward shows how much they can still improve.
Each of these strikers has their flaws, but having all three fit and available could be a difference maker in the second half of the season.
After all, since Manchester City became geared towards creating for their main man Erling Haaland in 2022, Arteta has consistently stressed the importance of Arsenal’s attackers sharing the attacking load. Now is the time to put that theory into practice.