Mikel Arteta remained coy about whether Arsenal could bring Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back to the club on a short-term deal.
The Gunners are open to signing a new midfielder following a potential season-ending injury to Mikel Merino.
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Merino, who scored six goals and added three assists in 33 games this season, suffered a broken foot in the club’s 3-2 loss to Manchester United.
This has led to Arsenal bosses considering a move late in the winter window, which closes at 7pm on Monday evening.
But with options limited, the north London giants could turn to the free agent market, where players can be snapped up outside the window.
This has led to speculation that Oxlade-Chamberlain could be an option as the 32-year-old’s contract expired following his departure from Besikas in August.
Oxlade-Chamberlain played alongside Arteta at the Emirates Stadium for five years, with both players joining the club in 2011.
The versatile central midfielder has been training at Arsenal’s Sobha Realty Training Center since November.
In December he even played for the U21s in a behind-closed-doors friendly against the Red Devils.
Are you coming back?
And Arteta refused to rule out the player returning when asked the question in his pre-match press conference on Monday.
Ahead of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea, the Spaniard simply said: “We are looking at every option.”
Arteta also confirmed that the club is making efforts to find a replacement for Merino, saying: “We are there.”
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“And it’s our responsibility, if we’re going to play for what we’re playing, to give ourselves the best opportunity and chance to look at the market and every option, evaluate them and then make a decision about whether to do something if we can.”
“When you lose a player as big as this in the squad with four months to go and in all sorts of competitions, you have to take a look.
“And we have to do everything we can to see if we have a player who is available and if not, we keep what we have.”
“At this level, especially for four months, you have to bring in a player who has the ability to adapt straight away and make an impact on the team.”
“It’s not easy, but if it were easy we wouldn’t be here. That’s why we have to find solutions and try. We need players because we play every two or three days.”
While it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will approach Oxlade-Chamberlain, The Pitch Prospect understands the club have made an inquiry regarding the availability of Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka.
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The 30-year-old is entering the final six months of his contract at the Allianz Arena, with the German giants having already announced he will not be signing a new contract.
Goretzka has played 28 games in all competitions this season, scoring one goal.
The Pitch Prospect also understands that Sandro Tonali’s agent has offered the player to Arsenal. However, there was no dialogue between the Gunners and Newcastle.