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Arsenal fans were hit with the shock news this morning that they will be without striker Olivier Giroud after he suffered an ankle injury in the draw with Everton .
The French forward will have a scan to determine the extent of the damage on his left foot, but there are fears he has fractured a bone, an injury that will leave him out for three months.
The rumour mill has spun into life this morning with various players being linked with a move to north London to fear the Gunners' striking woes.
We go through a few of the players who have been linked with Arsenal this morning - some appear to be a bit more likely than others, while a number of them are already in Arsene Wenger's squad...
Show all 10 1 /10How Arsenal could replace Olivier Giroud How Arsenal could replace Olivier Giroud Wilfried Bony The Swansea striker had an impressive first season in Wales scoring 16 goals in the Premier League and 25 in all competitions. He has the strength and pace to operate as a lone striker and is technically good enough to fit in at Arsenal. he is believed to want a move to a bigger club and Swansea previously said they wouldn't stand in his way, with an offer of around £16m reported to be enough.
How Arsenal could replace Olivier Giroud Danny Welbeck Arsene Wenger made arguably the worst mistake of his Arsenal career when he sold Robin van Persie to Manchester United. Will Old Trafford chiefs return the favour? Welbeck is way down the pecking order under Louis van Gaal and offers the type of versatility managers love. He enjoyed the best season of his career last year and could thrive if given a central role more often.
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How Arsenal could replace Olivier Giroud Radamel Falcao The best attainable No 9 in European football, Radamel Falcao has been a target for Real Madrid all summer and Arsenal could beat them to the Monaco player’s signature. Although he missed most of the year – and the World Cup finals – with a knee ligament injury, Arsenal could sign the Colombian on loan, though they would not get much change from £20m in that deal.
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How Arsenal could replace Olivier Giroud Marco Reus The German's release clause is a well known staple of this transfer window - Reus is available for a cut-price £20m next year. This could mean the versatile young star is available for a bit more now, with Borussia Dortmund perhaps keen to cash in. However recent history shows they are happy to keep their players to be stronger now. Robert Lewandowski stayed an extra season before moving on a free to Bayern Munich this summer.
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How Arsenal could replace Olivier Giroud Edinson Cavani The Uruguayan was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal or Chelsea earlier this summer and his agent even said Cavani was interested in coming to England. He was reported to be unhappy at playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic but those fears seemed to have been allayed. He is truly world class and scored 25 goals last season, but he will not be cheap and with Giroud expected to be out before the turn of the year it may be a bit of a stretch to have both of these men in the squad.
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How Arsenal could replace Olivier Giroud Julian Draxler Julian Draxler was the talk of the town in January when Arsenal made a reported £37m bid for the German. That mammoth bid, Draxler admitted, went to the 20-year-old's head and his form dipped - he scored just six goals in all competitions last year. But the youngster is still clearly talented and should find his form again, while it will not take anywhere near that previous price to seal a deal this time.
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How Arsenal could replace Olivier Giroud Theo Walcott Since Arsene Wenger first started playing Theo Walcott on the right pundits have opined that he will eventually move back into a central role. Now 25, no such move has taken place. Walcott had a great year in 2012-13 scoring 21 goals in all competitions but managed less than 20 appearances last term. He is due back in mid-September and could, finally, see a role as Arsenal's main man.
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How Arsenal could replace Olivier Giroud Lukas Podolski The popular German has been linked with a move to either Juventus or back to Germany but Arsene Wenger may now decide to put that move on hold. He is an excellent finisher and has a good scoring record in his two years at the club, with 28 goals from 69 matches. However, when he has played through the middle he has neither the pace nor the strength to really operate as a lone striker.
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How Arsenal could replace Olivier Giroud Alexis Sanchez Impressed for Barcelona when played as a 'false 9' last season, Sanchez was terrible at Goodison Park in a similar position and was hauled off after 45 minutes. It will take time for the little Chilean to get used to the physicality of the Premier League, but he has the technical ability to succeed. However, a role as a lone striker may be too much in the early stages of his Arsneal career - he should be given more time to settle in.
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How Arsenal could replace Olivier Giroud Yaya Sanogo Yet to score a goal for the club in 15 senior matches, Sanogo managed to bag four in a pre-season friendly against Monaco. The youngster is a gifted athlete but very raw technically, and it would be a mistake for Wenger to consider him adequate cover for Giroud.
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Arsenal fans will just be hoping Wenger doesn't decide he has enough firepower in his squad already.
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