Gabriel suffers ACL injury as Arsenal eye transfers

Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus will need surgery on a serious knee injury as Gunners boss Mikel Arteta scrambles to replace the Brazilian in the January transfer window. Jesus was stretchered off in the first half of Sunday’s FA Cup third-round match against Manchester United, which ended in a defeat for the Gunners on penalties.The 27-year-old saw specialists this week to assess the extent of the problem, which has now been diagnosed as an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his left knee.Jesus could be sidelined for the rest of the season in a major blow to Arsenal’s hopes of winning a first Premier League title since 2004."Gabby will undergo surgery in the coming days and will soon begin his recovery and rehabilitation programme,” Arsenal said in a statement."We will continue to keep everyone updated with Gabby’s recovery, with everyone at the club fully focused on supporting Gabby to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible.”After scoring just once in his first 20 games in all competitions this season, Jesus had netted six times in six matches before the United match. The former Manchester City star’s injury, combined with the extended absence of England forward Bukayo Saka after hamstring surgery, has added to growing concerns over Arsenal’s lack of goalscoring threat.Arsenal are second in the Premier League table, six points behind leaders Liverpool, but they have failed to win any of their past three games in all competitions. Arteta’s men face an uphill battle to qualify for the League Cup final after a 2-0 home defeat by Newcastle and are out of the FA Cup.Arsenal are the only club in the Premier League’s top six without a goalscorer in double figures – Kai Havertz has seven in the English top-flight this season. Arteta, whose team face Tottenham in today’s north London derby, was asked at his pre-match press conference whether the club were targeting a striker in the January transfer window."We are actively looking in the market to improve the squad, and that’s been since day one,” said the Spaniard, who had admitted he was "very worried” about Jesus’s injury before receiving the gloomy medical update later in the afternoon."We would be naive not to do that because it’s an opportunity always to evolve the team, to improve the squad, and especially with the circumstances that we have. So yes, we are looking and we are trying, and let’s see what we are able to do.”Spurs boss battles ongoing injury crisis ahead of Arsenal clashAnge Postecoglou said Brazil forward Richarlison is fit to face Arsenal today but Timo Werner will miss out as the Tottenham boss continues to juggle a daunting injury list. Spurs, a lowly 12th in the Premier League, are desperate for a win against their north London rivals after three defeats and a draw in their past four league games.Postecoglou has wrestled with a string of injuries this season. Germany winger Werner, who picked up a hamstring injury in Sunday’s FA Cup win at Tamworth, joins Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur and Wilson Odobert on the sidelines.But Postecoglou told his pre-match press conference that he saw positive signs on the injury front after a tough few months. Richarlison has not played since he sustained a muscle injury during a 4-1 win over Aston Villa in November."Hopefully some light at the end of the tunnel in terms of players coming back,” said the Australian."Hopefully that means we can look at this back half of the season as something where we can make an impact. Big game tomorrow night, big game for the club, big game for our season, big game for our supporters, so looking forward to it.”The former Celtic boss, used to the bitter Old Firm rivalry in Glasgow, said he was aware of the intensity of the north London derby from the moment he arrived at the club. But he is yet to beat Arsenal in three attempts as Spurs manager."I have been big on it from the first game and this year is as big as they ever come, especially for us and our season,” he said. "We need to start winning games in the league and there is no better place to start.”