An agreement was reached last night on a six-month deal, and the player is going to be given Gabriel Jesus’ jersey number for the remainder of the season. Arsenal has completed the signing of a free agent striker who is thirty years old and who scored 28 goals for his previous club. Congratulations, supporters of Arsenal!
In the week that followed the announcement of Kai Havertz’s injury that would end his season, Arsenal’s failure to recruit reinforcements in January appears to have been even more deeply misjudged.
Due to the fact that the German international suffered a hamstring injury while the Gunners were participating in a warm-weather training camp in Dubai, he will be unable to play for the remainder of the season. As Mikel Arteta, who is 25 years old, continues to struggle with his fitness, he has joined his fellow forwards Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka in the treatment room. This is further exacerbating his ongoing fitness issues.
Arsenal is currently facing a very difficult situation as a result of the fact that Havertz and Jesus will not be returning before the end of the 2024/25 season. The only players who are currently available across the forward line are Leandro Trossard, Raheem Sterling, and Ethan Nwaneri. They will not have any orthodox strikers available for the remainder of the season.
Arsenal will be forced to either promote young players or turn to the free agent market in order to find a solution to their problems now that the winter transfer window has closed. The latter could be a genuine option for the Gunners, who are currently suffering from injuries and are not in a position to be demanding when it comes to emergency cover.
The following is a list of six forwards who are available as free agents that Arsenal could potentially sign to alleviate their current situation.
Assam Ben Yedder Wissam
A Wissam During his time at Monaco, Ben Yedder established himself as one of the most prolific sharpshooters in Ligue 1 and earned a reputation for his skill. A total of 118 goals were scored by him in 201 matches played for the Principality side before his contract expired in the summer of last year.
After being found guilty of sexual assault in November 2024, he was given a sentence of two years of suspended prison time. However, this sentence has since been suspended. The decision to sign the 34-year-old player would be met with a great deal of opposition.
A. Gomez, Maxi
It is difficult to believe that Maxi Gomez, a powerful Uruguayan striker who has made 32 appearances for the national team, is currently without a club at the age of just 28. Gomez was tipped for stardom after an impressive stint at Celta Vigo, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to believe that he is currently without a club.
Before making the move to Valencia, where his goalscoring numbers dropped significantly, he had a total of thirty goals scored during his two seasons with the Spanish team. Before moving to Trabzonspor in Turkey, Gomez scored 23 goals over the course of three full seasons. However, a year-long loan stint at Cadiz last season was unsuccessful, as he failed to score in any of the 33 matches he played for the club.
The fact that Gomez did not score a single goal during the previous season is cause for concern; however, the bulky striker may prove useful in providing Arsenal with a focal point up top during the upcoming season.
A. Diaz, Mariano
Mariano Diaz, who had previously played for Real Madrid Castilla, was another player who was anticipated to achieve great success in Spanish football. The following year, he was promoted to the senior squad and managed to score five goals in 14 appearances for the senior squad. This came after he had scored 32 times in 44 appearances for the reserves.
This was followed by a tremendously successful season spent on loan at Lyon, during which the Dominican Republic international scored 21 goals; however, upon his return to Madrid, he was never able to establish a reputation for himself at the Santiago Bernabeu. Eventually, Diaz embarked on a permanent move to Sevilla in the 2023–2024 season, where he played only 13 games and failed to score a single goal.
The player, who is now 31 years old, has not been signed by a club since then, and even though he was a capable substitute for Madrid at various points during his time there, Arsenal fans would not find him to be an extremely inspiring addition.
