The knee injury that is set to keep Gabriel Jesus out of the Arsenal team until at least February will undoubtedly be a significant blow to Mikel Arteta in the midst of their Premier League title battle with Manchester City. More depth in attack was certainly on the agenda for Edu in the January transfer window, but the injury to Jesus may have fast-tracked those plans.
Arsenal have been linked with a number of quality forwards from around the world, but only a select few seem to be receiving concrete interest from north London with Mykhaylo Mudryk, Cody Gakpo and Marcus Thuram certainly all one the list.
All three have been among the goals for their respective clubs this season and would likely be great additions to the Arsenal squad in the January transfer window. With that in mind, football.london has compared the stats of the trio to find out who could be best equipped to help with Jesus' absence.
READ MORE: Arsenal and Chelsea set for cut-price Tammy Abraham transfer deal amid major January decision
Mykhaylo Mudryk
Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykhaylo Mudryk has perhaps been the name linked most with Arsenal after his impressive displays in the Champions League. The Gunners made a move for Mudryk in the summer but a deal never materialised.
Mudryk himself also seems very interested over a proposed move to north London even revealing he often checks the Arsenal scores and admires their style of play. football.london understands that a long-term interest in Mudryk remains, and the Ukrainian remains the centre of discussion for an attacking signing this winter.
Often playing on the left of a front three, Mudryk has scored 10 goals and grabbed eight assists from 18 competitive appearances this season. Five of those 18 goal contributions came in Shakhtar's Champions League campaign, perhaps putting to bed any doubts about his ability at the top level.
Reports initially indicated Mudryk would cost close to £90million with Shakhtar attempting to waive off any potential suitors but the Mirror have now claimed that Shakhtar have significantly lowered their asking price to a figure rising above the £40 million mark.
Cody Gakpo
A mid-season World Cup, while having many glaring negatives, certainly has its positives and one of those has undoubtedly been PSV star Cody Gakpo.
The 23-year-old has been the Netherlands talisman in their World Cup campaign thus far, scoring in all three of their group games before playing the whole 90 minutes in their last-16 win over the USMNT.
Interest from the Premier League was there for Gakpo in the summer, mainly from Leeds and Manchester United but Arsenal have since entered the race and could swoop in to sign him in January and with his remarkable stats it's clear to see why.
Gakpo has 18 goals and 18 assists from 33 competitive appearances this season which equals at least one goal contribution per 90. PSV were hoping to hold out until the summer of 2023 before letting Gakpo go but reports indicate that, after an impressive World Cup and a great start to the season in his home country, if a bid around £40million comes in, he will likely leave the club in January.
Marcus Thuram
The future of Marcus Thuram is relatively straight forward as it looks highly unlikely he will still be a Borussia Monchengladbach player in 2023 with his contract set to expire in the summer.
The 25-year-old has been consistently among the goals in Germany this season scoring 13 from 20 appearances which saw him earn a spot in Didier Deschamps France World Cup squad.
Fabrizio Romano spoke to GiveMeSport about his future saying: "There are many clubs approaching his agent. From what I'm told, he's not going to extend the contract, so it makes a big opportunity for many clubs in the summer.
As highlighted, Thuram would be available in the summer on a free but the German club may wish to receive a fee for their star man which would mean a January departure. Sport Bild are reporting that Thuram could be available for as little as £6million in the winter window once he returns from Qatar.
Who could replace Jesus?
In short, probably all three. Gakpo and Thuram would be more effective centrally due to their builds and because both have played there before, while Mudryk could form a fluid front four, especially as Jesus did not always stay centrally.
The meeting between Edu and Stan Kroenke that took place recently likely involved a discussion about what to do in January and if Arsenal do make a move for one of these attackers, it may make sense to push for two.
Thuram is available at a cut-price and could seamlessly move into the Premier League with his agility and raw pace strong attributes. While two of the best young attackers in the world at the moment could be the main January acquisition as it would likely cost the Gunners close to £50million.
READ NEXT:
Arsenal predicted XI vs Lyon: Tierney starts, Xhaka decision, Zinchenko and Smith Rowe miss out
Stan Kroenke prepares £13.8m transfer plan to ease Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus blow for Mikel Arteta
Goncalo Ramos hands Arsenal transfer lesson as Edu prepares pivotal January window masterplan
Why Arsenal and England hero Bukayo Saka should win 2022 Fans' Footballer of the Year award
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: Latest news, rumours and gossip from the Emirates Stadium
