Mikel Arteta sends out thinly-veiled transfer plea and bemoans lack of ‘goals’ – as Arsenal boss offers William Saliba injury update

A frustrated Mikel Arteta admitted his Arsenal side lacks ‘goals and options’ in a thinly-veiled plea to the ownership for signings in the January transfer window.

The north London club has long been linked to a number of strikers, with those calls intensifying this month over mixed performances and the injuries to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus.

The highly-influential Saka is not expected to be back until late March and Jesus is out for months.

That adds to the Gunners’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg and crashing out of the FA Cup third round on penalties to Manchester United earlier this month.

Ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League match against Wolves on Saturday, Arteta said: ‘My opinion is clear. We lost two very important players in Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus. We lack goals, we lack people and we lack options. It’s clear.

‘If we can get the right player, that’s why we are actively looking at it (the market). Any player? No. Someone who makes us better. Ideally we need some help because we were very short already, and we’re even shorter now, but the team copes with that.

‘Yeah (there is work going on now).’

Arteta confirmed that both Myles Lewis-Skelly and William Saliba could play on Saturday, but will definitely be available next week.

Lewis-Skelly picked up a minor knee injury in the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa last weekend, while Saliba sustained a hamstring issue against Tottenham earlier in the month.

Ben White is still not available.

‘With Myles there is nothing serious with the scan, so it’ll be a matter of today’s meeting with the medical staff and our training session,’ he added.

‘We’ll see whether it’s too early or not.

‘With Willy (Saliba), it’s something similar as well. I think he’ll definitely be in for next week, but for this week let’s see how it goes.’