Arsenal hit by double hamstring blow — one star out three weeks

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Arsenal have come out of the international break with two attackers nursing hamstring problems, and Mikel Arteta now has a decision to make about how his front line looks against Leeds on Saturday.

Kai Havertz picked up a hamstring injury while on Germany duty. The issue is not believed to be serious, though no exact recovery timeframe has been put on it, according to the Evening Standard.

Christos Tzolis suffered a hamstring injury of his own while with Greece and is expected to be out for around three weeks, per the same report.

Gyokeres arrives back in form

The timing of Havertz's setback coincides with an upturn for Viktor Gyokeres. The striker went into the break short on confidence after a quiet start to the season in an Arsenal shirt, but he scored three goals in three matches for Sweden.

That form puts him in line to lead the line against Leeds, an opponent he scored three times against last season.

Arteta does have an alternative in Mikel Merino, who has been used through the middle before and offers more as a link player, combining with those around him rather than running the channels. Even so, the Standard notes it would be a surprise if Arteta did not go with Gyokeres given his international run.

The bigger question is on the left

Tzolis has shared minutes on the left flank this season with Eberechi Eze, who is now the obvious candidate for an extended run in the side. Arteta has publicly praised the improvements Eze has made out of possession in that role, particularly his work tracking back to protect the full-back.

Eze's comfort drifting infield also allows Arteta to field him alongside Martin Odegaard, keeping the fluid, interchanging front line that has produced Arsenal's best attacking performances this season.

There is another option. Noni Madueke played on the left during the early stages of last season but has barely featured there since. He is predominantly left-footed, a more direct runner who gets to the byline and crosses, and his pace would stretch defences in behind rather than inviting pressing teams to pin Arsenal back.

That profile may suit Gyokeres, who relies on service rather than manufacturing chances himself. Eze, by contrast, instinctively cuts inside.

More experimental solutions exist — shifting Bukayo Saka to the left, or finding a route into the team for Max Dowman — but the Standard reports those feel unlikely for now, with Arteta keen to minimise disruption to a right-hand side that has been one of Arsenal's clearest strengths this season.

With Leeds at the Emirates on Saturday, the shape of Arsenal's attack in Havertz's absence will become clear soon enough.