Arsenal chief: Welbeck injury could spur January addition

Danny Welbeck's potentially season-ending ankle injury has opened the door for Arsenal reinforcements in the January transfer window.

With the England forward recovering from a broken ankle and a pair of subsequent operations, and his contract set to lapse in the summer - with no signs of an extension - director of football Raul Sanllehi is weighing his options ahead of the winter window.

"That is absolutely something unplanned," Sanllehi told the Evening Standard's James Benge. "Yes, that makes you consider things. I am not saying that's a green light to go to the market but we have good players in the house also that may get further opportunities, like Eddie Nketiah for example."

Nketiah, who progressed from the Gunners academy to make a first-team debut last season, is now third on Arsenal's striker depth chart behind Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Still, the 19-year-old England youth international appears on the fringes, prompting reports of Arsenal's interest in Boca Juniors stud Cristian Pavon and Lille goal machine Nicolas Pepe.

"We need to see. We are in November, so it's a good time to start analyzing what options we have in the market. We are not closing the door but it's still not the preferred one," Sanllehi said.