Remarkably, after spending just under £450 million in the summer transfer window, Liverpool find themselves short of attacking options.

Star man Mohamed Salah is away with Egypt at AFCON and could stay there until Jan. 18th if they reach the final.

British record signing Alexander Isak is out indefinitely with a broken ankle he suffered after scoring against Tottenham last month and now Liverpool’s top scorer Hugo Ekitike is a doubt for the trip to Fulham with a hamstring issue.

So, after a season that began with hopes of retaining a league title courtesy of an attack that could rival any in Europe, Liverpool now find themselves 15 points adrift of Arsenal and struggling to piece together a forward line for their trip to the Emirates in midweek.

ESPN takes a look at who’s in the running to lead the line for the depleted defending Premier League champions against Arsenal and for the rest of the season.

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Cody Gakpo

The outstanding candidate is of course, Cody Gakpo, and the Dutchman got the nod up front in Liverpool’s chaotic draw at Craven Cottage, rewarding Arne Slot with what he thought was the winner late on before a Harrison Reid barnstormer even later in stoppage time meant it wasn’t to be.

Gakpo is no stranger to leading the line, he did so in his breakout tournament of sorts at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (directly preceding his move to Liverpool), scoring three times in five appearances before Netherlands exited to eventual winners Argentina in the knockout stages. He was often played as a central striker in his early days at Anfield under Jürgen Klopp.

He has since credited Slot, saying his recent move to the left side of the forward line contributed to an upturn in form last season but he is the man currently in possession of Liverpool’s No. 9 spot.

Gakpo sits just under Ekitike on Liverpool’s goalscoring list this term with five, slightly overperforming his expected goals (4.67). Both players have made 18 appearances in the league and while Gakpo has slightly more minutes he leads Ekitike for touches in the opposition box, shots inside the box and expected assists. He is also significantly ahead of Ekitike for duels won and aerial duels won while the Frenchman boasts more dribbles, shots outside the box and ultimately the most important stat, goal involvements.

On paper, Gakpo is Liverpool’s best option amid their attacking crisis and he showed it in west London, albeit with the points shared, and while he looks the most likely to start up front against Mikel Arteta’s table-toppers, he isn’t Slot’s only option.

• Minutes played: 1255

• Goal involvements: 8 (5G 3A)

• Expected goals: 4.67

• Touches in opposition box: 92

• Expected assists: 2.82

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Federico Chiesa

So often the forgotten man at Liverpool, Mohamed Salah’s time with Egypt at AFCON was seen as a way in for Federico Chiesa but it hasn’t turned out that way.

He did earn his first start of the season, against bottom side Wolves, but was hooked after an hour and has seen just 17 minutes of action from the bench in Liverpool’s three other games since Salah’s temporary exit.

As expected, his numbers don’t stack up well when compared to Isak and Ekitike, down to a sheer lack of minutes, but the 28-year-old has played down the middle for Juventus and Italy with Arne Slot saying last season that he “can trust [Chiesa] the moment we need him,” that time may just be now with Liverpool’s attacking options as thin as ever.

• Minutes played: 228

• Goal involvements: 3 (2G 1A)

• Expected goals: 1.23

• Touches in opposition box: 26

• Expected assists: 0.49

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Jayden Danns

A striker who came through under Jürgen Klopp, Jayden Danns is yet to register a single minute of Premier League football this season but is an outside contender to make the bench at the Emirates on Thursday.

He did start under Arne Slot against PSV in the Champions League last term and came on in the side’s EFL cup win over Southampton earlier in this one.

A loan move to Sunderland in the Championship last year saw him fail to make an appearance due to a back injury, a theme of his young career to this point and something that has hindered his progress from looking like a bona fide first-team option under Klopp.

With just three senior appearances for the club in all, Danns’ numbers undersell him as a player and amid a forward dearth, he is a more than capable option for Slot to look to.

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Rio Ngumoha

A 16-year-old scores a stoppage time winner to take all three points away at Newcastle to continue Liverpool’s winning start to the season, remember that?

It feels like an age ago when Rio Ngumoha announced himself to the Premier League with Liverpool’s dire form since then a more than contributory factor to that.

Playing time has been hard to come by for Ngumoha since then, he has played just over one full half of football in 18 games since then and has not registered another goal involvement.

His favoured position is on the left of a front three but with Liverpool falling further behind in the title race and with a lack of attacking threat a common criticism of Slot’s side in recent drab draws, Liverpool could do worse than Ngumoha’s tricky pace and dynamism bustling through the middle.

• Minutes played: 48

• Goal involvements: 1 (1G 0A)

• Expected goals: 0.36

• Touches in opposition box: 6

• Expected assists: 0.15