Kai Havertz is back on the treatment table, talkSPORT understands.
The German has sustained a knee injury and is now being assessed by Arsenal medical staff.
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The severity of Havertz’s injury is unknown and it remains to be seen whether the Gunners to return to the transfer market for attacking cover.
News of Havertz’s injury comes as he was a notable absence from an open training session held by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
It is a brutal blow for Havertz given he sustained a hamstring tear in February that forced him to miss 18 games for Arsenal in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.
The German international did recover in time to come off the bench against Newcastle and Southampton in the Gunners’ last two games of the Premier League campaign.
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He also made a 30-minute appearance as a substitute in Arsenal’s season-opening win over Manchester United, as he came on in place of summer signing Viktor Gyokeres.
How will Arsenal cover Havertz’s absence?
Havertz’s injury now leaves Gyokeres as their only fit striker, with Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus still recovering from an ACL tear.
It could force Mikel Merino, a midfielder by trade, to reprise his role as a false nine from last season.
Left winger Leandro Trossard is another who could deputise as a backup striker to Gyokeres having featured over 20 times up top for the Gunners.
Regardless, Havertz’s injury has given Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta an unwanted headache after just one game of the Premier League campaign.
Havertz’s improved physicality in pre-season
It is also a bitter blow given the hard work Havertz had evidently put in to bulk up in the off-season.
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Social media sleuths compared images of pre-season in 2023 when Havertz first arrived from Chelsea to this year’s preparations and noticed the German had packed on muscle.
Havertz has been a key attacking outlet since he joined, scoring 29 goals in 88 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners.
Fifteen of those were scored last season from 36 appearances as the 26-year-old finished as Arsenal’s top scorer.
Despite Havertz leading the north London side’s goalscoring charts, Arteta knew more firepower was needed this season as he looks to snap a run of three-straight runners-up finishes in the Premier League.
Gyokeres was the man Arteta chose to solve those attacking shortcomings in a big-money move, although his competitive debut failed to live up to the hype of his arrival.
It’s why talkSPORT pundit and former Watford marksman Troy Deeney backed Havertz to receive the starting nod more often than Gyokeres this term.
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Troy Deeney’s verdict on Havertz
“Gyokeres, for me, isn’t the answer,” Deeney said on talkSPORT’s Hawksbee and Jacobs.
“I know he’s only one game in, and people will say he’s rusty, but if you look at his movement, the way he was running…
“There was an incident when he went through and stood on the ball.
“I think you are going to see Havertz start more games than Gyokeres over the course of the season.”
Arteta will now look to find an in-house solution for Havertz’s absence in time for Saturday’s clash against Leeds at the Emirates.
