Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he has “other alternatives” to consider as he looks to deal with the “huge blow” of losing Gabriel Jesus to injury.

The Gunners are in a brilliant position at the summit of the Premier League table, five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City. They will be hoping to keep the defending champions at arm’s length for the rest of the season with fans hoping they can challenge for the title.

However, their hopes took a blow when Jesus was injured at the World Cup during Brazil’s loss to Cameroon in the group stage. Jesus will be out for several months after undergoing surgery on his knee with fellow Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah tipped to cover in his absence.

When asked about Jesus’ injury, Arteta replied: “It’s a huge blow for us, obviously. He’s such an important player: he’s brought something very different to the team and it’s impossible to replace him. But we have other players, other alternatives and we’ll try to get that sorted out. The transfer window is another option.

“I think [Jesus] is a unique player but Eddie [Nketiah] has incredible qualities as well for the way we want to play. We have other alternatives in that we can play Martinelli upfront as well. We are currently a little bit short in terms of upfront positions but getting Emile [Smith Rowe] back is going to be a big one.”

Numerous strikers have been linked with a potential move to Arsenal in the January transfer window to cover for the loss of Jesus with Dusan Vlahovic one name which keeps coming up. Calciomercato (via Sport Witness) claim that the Juventus striker could be part of the Gunners’ strategy to “go all-in” on the Premier League title with an offer of ‘no less than €90m’ must be submitted to grab the Old Lady’s “attention”.

Arsenal will be back in action on Boxing Day when they face London rivals West Ham at the Emirates Stadium in the evening kick-off. Speaking about the match, Arteta added, “It’s a very special day. Boxing Day is one of the most beautiful days in English football.

“It’s such a family and historic day to play football, and we are really keen to play again. I know David [Moyes] very well because I worked with him for seven years. I’m sure that he has worked the team hard and has put big demands on them. They’ve been terrific since he joined the club and I always think it’s a really difficult match-up.”

• A Football360 report