Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has insisted the club will make a decision on their January transfer plans when they become aware of Gabriel Jesus' timescale out of action. The Gunners confirmed earlier this week that Jesus had undergone surgery on a knee issue picked up at the World Cup with Brazil.
Jesus ' presence at the Emirates Stadium upon the return of the Premier League season will be majorly missed after he became a key member of Mikel Arteta's squad. The Brazilian has scored five goals and grabbed another six assists to help lead the club to the top of the table at Christmas for the first time since 2007.
The Gunners returned to action for the first time in three weeks earlier today with a 3-0 win over French side Lyon in Dubai. First-half goals from Gabriel, Eddie Nketiah and Fabio Vieira sent Arteta's side on their way before being victorious again in the penalty shoot-out for a bonus point.
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As presumed, Arteta was faced with questions about Jesus' injury for the first time after the game and discussed the Gunners' January transfer plans ahead of the opening of the window next month. Asked if he had an update on the 25-year-old's timeframe and whether the injury changes his January plans, Arteta said: "No. We know that he needed some intervention in the knee and we have to take day by day, week by week and see where that takes us.
"What it affects is who we are as a team because he gives us so much. What we can do after that when we know the timescale better and we have when we can have him back we will look at the options and try to make the right decisions."
Nketiah, who has been forced to play second fiddle to Jesus this season, made the most of his opportunity in the Middle East with a nice finish past Anthony Lopes. Arteta also has Gabriel Martinelli as an option to take up the slot at centre-forward and has insisted he has the capability to try different ways.
"We look at the squad and see what options we have our with the players we have available. There are things we can try, we have the need to do so," Arteta said after the win. "I feel my squad is really good, and unfortunately we’ve had injuries, but we will see what we can do to be stronger.
"We have a lot of players, we have a lot of academy players. We have the players who can give us the performances and the consistency to maintain or improve from where we are."
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