Nothing New, Arsenal Recruit Free Players to Overcome Crisis in Squad

Recently, Arsenal won 2-0 over Leicester City in the Premier League match. It was the Gunners' first match when the crisis came along with injuries to the team's attackers, including the most recent injury to Kai Havertz.

Mikel Arteta found an emergency solution by deploying Mikel Merino as a striker, despite his natural position as a central midfielder. Merino responded with two goals against Leicester at the King Power Stadium.

But that could potentially be a temporary possibility. Arsenal's opponents will, sooner or later, learn about Merino's playing style and it won't be easy for the Spaniard to repeat his impressive performance against Leicester.

This makes the issue of Arsenal's search for a new striker still ongoing. Arteta recently said that there is a chance for Arsenal to recruit a free striker, aka one who is currently without a club.

"We will investigate every possible situation and take a decision from there," Arteta said recently.

Nothing New for Arsenal

Arsenal have made free agent transfers in the past. Both are former players who previously played for Arsenal, namely Sol Campbell and Mathieu Flamini. Campbell was recruited in January 2010 after previously coming as a free agent in 2001 (from Tottenham Hotspur).

Campbell arrived at the age of 35 in 2010 to Arsene Wenger's squad. He appeared in 11 games and scored against Birmingham City (1-1).

Flamini, meanwhile, returned to Arsenal in 2013, having previously played for the club from 2004 to 2008. Flamini proved to be a key player as Arsenal won the FA Cup in 2014 and 2015.

Arsenal are now linked with a number of free strikers such as Leandro Damiao, Lucas Perez, Mariano Diaz and Maxi Gomez. Two other names who also have experience in the Premier League are former Chelsea, Diego Costa and former Arsenal striker Carlos Vela.