Jamie Redknapp has warned Mikel Arteta that failing to replace Gabriel Jesus in the January transfer window could derail Arsenal's title bid.
The Gunners headed into the World Cup break with a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League over reigning champions Manchester City after losing just one league game so far this term. However, Arsenal's title tilt could be in major jeopardy with Jesus set to be sidelined for three months after undergoing knee surgery.
Jesus has already made a significant impact at the Emirates since arriving in a £45million deal in the summer. The 25-year-old chalked up five goals and six assists during the first half of the season, and Redknapp believes Arsenal will suffer without him.
Redknapp told Sky Sports: "The biggest disadvantage by far is Arsenal because of losing Jesus. What that would do to the team, only time will tell.
"I think right now, that’s a major problem for Mikel Arteta. He would have looked at that and thought ‘out of all the players I didn’t want to lose, it would have been him’. It’s not his goals, it’s more what he does for the team. He goes and chases and presses. Wins the ball. Sets the tempo as a striker. He’s a player they haven’t had for so long. And that’s terrible news for this Arsenal team.
"How are they going to react? You are going to buy someone in the window. It’s not as easy as that to find a player of his calibre."
If Arsenal do decide to resist the temptation to bring in another No.9, academy graduate Eddie Nketiah could get his chance to shine after playing second fiddle to Jesus for most of the season.
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Arteta has also hinted that other players, such as Gabriel Martinelli, who is on the verge of signing a new long-term contract, could also operate in a more central role to try and fill the void left by Jesus.
Speaking previously on Jesus' injury, Arteta admitted: "It's a huge blow for us, obviously. He’s such an important player: he's brought something very different to the team and it's impossible to replace him.
"But we have other players, other alternatives and we'll try to get that sorted. The transfer window is another option. I think [Jesus] is a unique player but Eddie [Nketiah] has incredible qualities as well for the way we want to play.
"We have other alternatives in that we can play Martinelli up front as well. We are currently a little bit short in terms of upfront positions but getting Emile [Smith Rowe] back is going to be a big one."
