Three free agent attackers Arsenal can sign following Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis injuries

Arsenal's medical team are facing another hectic period, with several players picking up problems during the international break and leaving Mikel Arteta with fresh selection headaches to solve.

There are positives to cling to, however, with William Saliba reportedly closing in on a return to first-team training following a lengthy injury lay-off, while Declan Rice, Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera are all expected to return to full fitness this month.

There were also initial fears surrounding Martin Odegaard and Martin Zubimendi after both midfielders picked up knocks, but those concerns have since eased after it emerged that neither injury is considered serious.

Arteta's biggest concern, though, will be the problems suffered by Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis, with both attacking players now facing a nervous wait over the severity of their respective injuries.

Havertz returned from the Germany camp with a thigh problem, and there is currently no definitive timeframe for when the forward could return to action.

Tzolis, meanwhile, was forced off during the early stages of Greece's Nations League encounter with the Netherlands, leaving Arteta sweating over his availability ahead of the Premier League's return.

While Arsenal possess sufficient depth across most departments, losing key players in attacking areas could quickly expose a weakness that has been lurking beneath the surface.

During the summer transfer window, the Gunners allowed Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli to leave, but never truly replaced either player with a like-for-like attacking addition.

Arsenal were linked with several elite forwards, including Morgan Rogers, Julian Alvarez and Vinicius Junior, but their failure to land any of those targets could yet come back to haunt them if the current injury concerns develop into something more serious.

The Gunners are usually a club that operate with meticulous planning in the transfer market, but a sudden injury crisis could force Arteta and the recruitment team to think outside the box and explore options that would not ordinarily make their shortlist.

That could mean turning to the free-agent market, where short-term deals could offer a practical solution without forcing Arsenal into an expensive panic buy midway through the campaign.

Here are three free-agent attackers the Gunners could consider.

Jadon Sancho

Once the darling of Borussia Dortmund whose dazzling performances earned him a £73m move to Manchester United five years ago, Sancho has gradually drifted into the wilderness and now desperately needs the right opportunity to prevent his career from fading into obscurity.

The winger remains capable of operating across all three attacking positions and has extensive Premier League experience, meaning Arteta could afford to take a calculated gamble on a player who once looked destined for the very top.

A short-term deal could provide Sancho with the platform to rediscover the spark that made him such a coveted talent, although that would likely require the 25-year-old to accept a significant pay cut and place his focus firmly on football rather than the distractions that have clouded his recent years.

Anthony Martial

Once dubbed the next big thing after Thierry Henry, Martial appeared destined to take the Premier League by storm when he announced himself with a spectacular debut goal against Liverpool at Old Trafford.

The talent was never really in doubt, but Martial arguably found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, with his Manchester United career becoming an increasingly frustrating tale of unfulfilled potential.

His 90 goals in 317 appearances across nine seasons tell a story of flashes of brilliance rather than sustained excellence, while subsequent spells with AEK Athens and Monterrey have largely slipped beneath the radar.

At 30, however, Martial could still have more left in the tank than many would imagine, and Arteta could offer him one final opportunity to breathe life into a career that once promised so much before the window of opportunity closes for good.

Wilfried Zaha

The obvious question when assessing Arsenal's free-agent options is why not Raheem Sterling, or indeed Dele Alli, but both come with enough baggage to make either move difficult to justify.

Arsenal have already given Sterling an opportunity, while the latter stages of his career have become increasingly overshadowed by off-field controversies, making him a potentially unnecessary risk, while Alli's decline has been even more pronounced as football appears to have slipped down his list of priorities.

Philippe Coutinho's spell at Aston Villa also suggests that the Brazilian has lost the explosive edge that once made him one of Europe's most devastating attacking players, bringing Wilfried Zaha into sharper focus as a more intriguing short-term option.

At 33, Zaha is no longer the marauding winger who terrorised Premier League defences during his Crystal Palace peak, but he remains capable of producing moments of quality and could provide Arsenal with a reliable option on a short-term contract.

Jamie Vardy could also have been considered as an option through the middle, but the veteran has already joined Burnley until the end of the season, while Karim Benzema represents another intriguing possibility, although investing in a 38-year-old forward, even temporarily, would make little sense for Arsenal's long-term planning.

That being said, Arsenal do not necessarily need to make a signing, and there would be little value in rushing into the market simply for the sake of adding another body to the squad.

If Havertz and Tzolis are ruled out for an extended period, however, exploring the free-agent market could provide Arteta with a safety net, particularly if the Gunners' attacking depth begins to look dangerously thin during a demanding campaign.