Mikel Arteta to have sit down with owner Stan Kroenke to discuss striker situation at Arsenal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has taken the chance to fly to the United States for in-person sit-down talks with Gunners owner Stan Kroenke as the conclusion of the transfer window looms over north London with the club still without reinforcements at center-forward.

Arteta was spotted taking in a Colorado Avalanche game last night in the owner’s box with Kroenke which immediately lit the fires of speculation regarding the reason behind his trip during the current international break, but according to The Telegraph’s Matt Law, Arteta arrived in Denver to meet with Kroenke personally as an immediate resolution is required at the Emirates.

Mikel Arteta has flown to Denver to discuss Arsenal’s striker situation with owner Stan Kroenke @Matt_Law_DT #AFC https://t.co/k3bUdwrr8q

— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) January 25, 2022

The Gunners missed out on prime January target Dušan Vlahović after the Serbian international is all but set to move to Juventus after interest from both Arsenal and Tottenham were rebuffed by him and his entourage.

Now, the club is left reeling after their first-choice target has slipped through their fingers in a similar fashion when the protracted transfer saga around Italian international midfielder Manuel Locatelli ended with the same result when he opted to move to Turin from Sassuolo instead of testing his trade in north London.

Arteta and Kroenke to discuss multiple transfer options

In light of the Vlahović news, Arsenal has some decisions to make regarding how they tackle the center-forward question that remains unanswered with just six days left in the January window.

One option on the table could be former captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remaining at the club instead of being shipped out on loan, but that likely is the last resort after the Gabonese international has all but fallen out with Arteta and seems destined to not have a future at the Emirates.

Other avenues of attack also present themselves through La Liga pair Luka Jović and Raúl De Tomás. Arsenal was offered the services of Jović on loan for the rest of the season as the Serbian international remains on the outs at the Santiago Bernabeu under Carlo Ancelotti and conceivably would jump at the chance to revitalize his career away from Madrid in a similar vein to Martin Ødegaard last season.

Raul de Tomas (RCD Espanyol) celebrates after scoring, during La Liga soccer match between RCD Espanyol and Real Madrid CF, at Cornella-El Prat Stadium on October 3, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain. Foto: Siu Wu. (Photo by Siu Wu/picture alliance via Getty Images)

De Tomás is an outside-of-the-box option but has shone for promoted outfit RCD Espanyol while scoring 12-goals in 21-appearances in the Spanish top-flight thus far this term in Barcelona after smashing 23-goals in 38-appearances last season in La Liga 2.

Regardless of what course of action Arsenal takes, one must be decided on as soon as possible if the club is to not be left short in the number 9 role for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign.