'We have very clear ideas!' - Mikel Arteta teases Arsenal striker target amid forward crisis but insists Gabriel Jesus' ACL injury has not changed plans

Arteta says that the Gunners have been actively looking for attacking options in the transfer window for a long time, and after Gabriel Jesus' ACL injury, which he suffered during Sunday's FA Cup clash against Manchester United, the club have stepped up their efforts.

Speaking to reporters, the Arsenal boss said: "We have very clear ideas of the players that we want, yes. It was before Gabi and it was with Gabi injured right now and we have to wait and see how things develop. Obviously we are losing two very creative, very important, very unpredictable players for us, so that has an impact on the team. That’s for sure. Not for now, it is from the start of the window and before the window we were actively looking at what we can do to plan and improve the squad, impact the squad, if we can. Obviously the news of Gabi, that takes the scenario to another dimension as well because the time frame will be longer."

When asked about the kind of profile of player he would be looking for, Arteta added: "You can speak to [interim sporting director] Jason [Ayto]. You know I’m not going to speak about that."

Amid their search for a new forward, the Gunners have already effectively sealed one signing, having seemingly won the race for long-time target Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, beating Liverpool and Manchester City. The English giants are reportedly set to trigger the €60 million (£51m/$61.5m) release clause in the midfielder's contract and he will arrive in the summer of 2025.

After back-to-back defeats in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, Arteta's men will aim to get back to winning ways on Wednesday as they take local rivals Tottenham in a crucial Premier League clash.