Arsenal boost for 'no brainer' transfer to replace Jorginho while injured teammate pictured in knee brace

It was a rare quiet weekend for Arsenal with no match to be played with the FA Cup coming back to town. The Gunners were knocked out by Manchester United in January, giving Mikel Arteta extra days between the 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest and Tuesday’s Champions League clash with PSV.

The Spaniard has insisted that his side are not out of the Premier League title race, despite now being 13 points behind the Reds. Arsenal do have a game in hand on the league leaders.

There’s also a trophy to fight for in Europe ahead of Champions League Round of 16. Here’s your Monday morning round-up from the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal boost in hopes of ‘no brainer’ transfer

Arsenal may have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Bayern Munich man Joshua Kimmich this summer with reports from Germany suggesting that talks over a new contract with the Bundesliga giants have been ‘called off’. Those claims are carried by Football Insider with the outlet touting a Gunners move for Kimmich as a replacement for Jorginho and Thomas Partey.

Jorginho is out of contract this summer and Partey has been linked with a move away from North London. It’s expected to be a summer of investment from the Gunners, having fallen far behind Liverpool in the title race this season.

Kimmich could be available on a free transfer too, should his stand-off with Bayern Munich over a new deal continue. Speaking to Sky Sports, former Premier League man Michael Dawson labelled an Arsenal move for the midfielder as a ‘no brainer’.

He said: “He’s a very, very good player. He’s done it for a long time in Germany at the age of 30. His contract’s coming to an end, it doesn’t look like it’s being renewed.

“The reason Arsenal are looking at this is you go, ‘is Jorginho gonna go? Is Thomas Partey gonna go?’ So then you go ‘we need to replace them’, and if he’s a free agent you get the experience, the quality he possesses, and you think ‘well it’s a no-brainer on that front’. But I just think they need a striker, I’ve said it for long enough now. Any team needs a striker, I don’t care who you are. Manchester City won the Premier League with no striker, that was a one-off…

“That’s where Arsenal need to prioritise. But Kimmich, I can see why they would go, of course, the experience if those two players do leave Arsenal you bring in one that’s tried and trusted, no-brainer.”

Kai Havertz pictured in knee brace

Meanwhile, injured Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has been pictured in a knee brace as he recovers from his serious hamstring injury. That problem ended his season early last month with the German picking up the blow on a training camp in Dubai on February 12.

Havertz posed for a photo with pal Senyo, who runs a male grooming business and barber shop on Portobello Road in West London. The image points to no miraculous recovery for the player, who is in the same brace fitted following surgery. A pair of crutches were also visible in the photo.

Following the recent surgery, the player wrote on social media: “The last few days have been tough to process both physically and mentally. But yesterday was a good day. A successful op. Thanks for all the messages of support over the last few days, it's really helped.

“I'm now focused on my journey to full fitness and giving all the support I can give to the team in the background.”

In other news, Arsenal are believed to be challenging Tottenham Hotspur to sign a former Manchester City forward.