Arsene Wenger has revealed that Danny Welbeck is now expected to return early from his knee injury, but could that turn out to be bad news for the fans?
The Frenchman has been actively looking for a new striker to add to the squad, with the England international expected to miss much of the campaign, and with Theo Walcott having disappointed in the role during the previous season.
Jamie Vardy has already turned down a move to the Emirates, and latest reports claim that Arsenal are keen on bringing Alexandre Lacazette to North-London, although the asking price looked to be standing in the way of such a deal.
Now Welbeck has been confirmed as returning as early as December after positive scan results, having been previously ruled out until February, which could dumb down the importance of bringing in another striker this summer.
Wenger said: “If the healing was not good, he would have been out until April. The news was excellent and he will be back around Christmas.
“That was the good news of last week, the only good news. That was very positive.”
The former Man United forward was in top goalscoring form prior to falling foul of injury, and was tipped to be a shoo-in for the European Championships, but was forced to miss out.
Wenger may now decide that he can prioritise the arrival of another centre-back, having lost Per Mertesacker until 2017, as well as having Gabriel Paulista out for at least a month from now.
Julian Draxler has also been linked with a move to our club this month, and could come instead of an out-and-out striker, which will likely infuriate my fellow fans.
Could Draxler fill the void of not signing a striker? Are Welbeck and Walcott good enough back-up to Olivier Giroud when fit?