🔗 Share this article

Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's pursuit for honors this season is being jeopardized by a concerning cycle of injuries and a relentless schedule.

Fresh Squad News

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to Belgium due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American forward added to their European squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot injury.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a really vicious circle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a extensive list of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that practice intensity were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He emphasized the pressure on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years.

Transfer Plans

Despite a significant off-season investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is unlikely planning to enter the January transfer market.

"Right now we're just focusing on getting the players back and with luck it will be a question of weeks," he said. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The team experienced their initial loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their lead at the top of the league to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group victory would all but secure a top-eight finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth successive European fixture.

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," he said. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."