Though no one could've foreseen Kai Havertz being injured during the Gunners warm weather training camp in Dubai, Gabriel Jesus' torn ACL in mid-January should've been enough to see Mikel Arteta and the board get their collective heads together and come up with a plan to sign a recognised striker before the end of that month.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli's own injury concerns shouldn't have played any part in their thinking given that neither - along with Havertz - are recognised centre-forwards.
Looking to Leandro Trossard or Mikel Merino as a stop-gap solution merely underscores the immediate needs of the North Londoners.
Indeed, ahead of Arsenal's Champions League fixture against PSV Eindhoven, the worrying statistic for supporters was a total of one goal and two assists from Trossard in his eight UCL games played this season, with nothing in either column for Merino.
That might have suggested that the effervescent and brave teenager, Ethan Nwaneri, would have to play a more responsible and forward role, and that's a whole lot of pressure for his young shoulders to bear.
Not that any of that appeared to matter after the Gunners' incredible 7-1 demolition of the Dutch side, with Trossard, Merino and Nwaneri all on target.
Lest we forget, however, that Arsenal still don't have an actual centre-forward, with their other four goals being scored by two defenders (Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori) and a midfielder in Martin Odegaard.
How different things might have been had the Arsenal board delved deep into club coffers and bought themselves a striker who may have still had the Gunners hanging onto Liverpool's coattails in the Premier League and not sat 13 points behind Arne Slot's side.
A handful of names have been mentioned in dispatches as potential signings. Players such as Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko and Alexander Isak.
Though Newcastle haven't had Champions League football to enjoy this season - perhaps another season without it is the one thing that's stopping Isak from committing to a new long-term contract with the Magpies at present - the form that he's shown domestically has been sensational.
The Swede has plundered 22 of Newcastle's total of 62 goals in all competitions and assisted for five more in his 31 games.
He's quite the all-rounder too, with 15 scored with the right foot, four with the left and three headers, and he's hit the woodwork on four more occasions.
Just as importantly, given how well Arsenal like to knock the ball around, he's completed 426 of his 567 passes and created 44 chances (including 12 big chances) for his team-mates.
Stylistically the 25-year-old is a great fit too. Isak is always on the move, gliding across the pitch with ease and unlike many centre-forwards, he isn't necessarily selfish when it comes to having his name up in lights as eight successful through balls to team-mates and 14 successful crosses will attest.
It isn't a stretch to suggest that there's a hint of Thierry Henry about him in the way that he plays, how he addresses opponents and in his delivery.
He's at just the right stage in his career to really make a mark at the Emirates Stadium too, but the one potential issue for Arsenal is cost. Newcastle paid €70m for his services, but the Gunners having to pay around double that figure - given how well he has progressed on Tyneside - wouldn't be a surprise.
Lethal Viktor Gyokeres remains an option for Mikel Arteta
Most of fellow countryman Viktor Gyokeres' best work has been done away from English shores, though 35 goals and eight assists in 24/25 is still a fine return from the 26-year-old.
Unlike Isak, Gyokeres has a brute strength and single-mindedness to his play with 19 of his goals coming as a result of Sporting CP counter-attacks.
Predominantly a right-foot finisher too (32 from 35 goals), arguably in the elite leagues this would make him that little bit easier to defend against.
That said, in the premier European competition this season, he still managed to hit the back of the net six times. That came from a total of 24 shots, giving him a conversion rate of 25%, the same as Isak.
Lethal from the spot where he's scored 12 penalties from 12 taken, he has nonetheless missed 24 of the 54 big chances he's had this season.
More of a playing-off-the-shoulder-of-the-last-defender type of forward, Gyokeres might not have too much to offer in terms of build-up play, which is something that Arsenal thrive upon.
An 87.5% passing accuracy stat in the Portuguese league is slightly misleading when you realise it relates to only those passes made in his own half.
The percentage drops down to a less-than-favourable 69.3 in the opponents' half - which is exactly where Gyokeres will be expected to provide some value.
Benjamin Sesko could be a more cost-effective solution for Arsenal
Benjamin Sesko is another front-man who Arsenal have been looking at for some while now, with reports as far back as June 2024 suggesting that the Gunners could have a fight on their hands to land the 21-year-old Slovenian. Their pursuit is completely understandable too.
Although RB Leipzig managed a paltry total of just eight goals in their eight Champions League group games - a group where the Bundesliga outfit finished 32nd out of 36 teams incidentally - Sesko bagged half of their output (4).
Another 10 in this season's German top-flight fixtures, again almost a quarter of all goals scored by the team (39 to date) showcases the striker's abilities and importance to his team. His shot economy is excellent too, with 39 of his 76 total shots on target.
The majority of his total goals this season have been scored from inside the area - 15 from 17 - so perhaps Arsenal also need to ask themselves the question as to whether they're looking for a fox-in-the-box type front-man or a player who offers something extra.
Passing isn't his forte either, which might represent a problem.
In this respect, he's even worse off than Gyokeres, with Sesko's best percentage of just 67.3 per cent coming in the Bundesliga. Indeed, the attached graphic shows that in the recent defeat against Mainz Sesko gave away more balls than he found a team-mate with.
Thinking about his end product defensively too, Sesko is a non-starter. He's only made 11 tackles in the entire season in all competitions, with just three of those being successful. Given that Mikel Arteta has seemingly fostered an all for one and one for all mentality at Arsenal, those numbers would have to be significantly improved.
When all is said and done, the evidence would appear to support Isak as being a clear favourite for a move to the Emirates.
Notwithstanding the variables such as salary, contract length and the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules, for example, whichever striker Arsenal unveil this summer will almost certainly offer up a valid critique of their ambitions in 2025/26.
