Transfer Rumors and the Walcott Injury

Clearly, the Theo Walcott injury leaves Arsenal with a major hole in its offense. Consider this now-depressing tweet from the stat geeks over at Opta:

33 - Since the start of 12/13, Theo Walcott scored or assisted 33 PL goals (19 goals, 14 assists) more than any other Arsenal player. Prime.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 6, 2014

So, what is Arsenal to do? If there's really a striker signing in the mix, the January rumor mongers have cobbled together a few options based on the usual bread crumbs left by agents, random bursts of Twitter, and soccer sites putting rumors into slide show formats (in order to maximize page views).

Jackson Martinez, one of the summer's most enticing striker rumors before he recommitted to Porto, is allegedly fluttering eyelashes at Arsenal, if The Mirror is to be believed. He's 27, strong, and talented, but could be prohibitively expensive -- even more so than he was in the previous transfer window -- and he's also CL cup-tied.

The signing of Robert Lewandowski to Bayern Munich -- who Arsenal was not-so-surprisingly interested in -- possibly opens the door for Mario Mandzukic to depart in the same manner as Mario Gomez and his awesome Mario Gomez Button. The Independent claims that Arsenal and Man United are lining up for the chance to sign him. Of course, this move would be complicated by the fact that Bayern actually needs a lead striker until Lewa comes in during the summer, and it seems a little far-fetched that Bayern would sell to its upcoming Champions League Round of 16 opponents.

Perhaps Loic Remy is more attainable? The in-form Newcastle striker is on loan from QPR, and though Redknapp's Rangers could be on their way back to the Premier League next year, they're allegedly dangling Arsenal interest and a £16M fee in front of Newcastle, effectively telling them to put a ring on it.

And because he's French and not that expensive and apparently finding form once again, there's renewed talk of Salomon Kalou coming to Arsenal from Lille. Because of his time with Chelsea, writers following the Kalou transfer saga are contractually obligated to use the phrase "he knows English football."

Then again, the always-excellent Amy Lawrence at the Guardian surmises that, based on Arsene Wenger's history and the options available in the current market, that Arsenal might just Frankenstein themselves a lineup that relies on the returning Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and the suddenly-surging Serge Gnabry to help get them to this season's finish line.