Mikel Arteta Warns Injury Woes Could Undermine The Gunners' Silverware Hunt

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

Latest Squad Update

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League clash to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their European squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle injury.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a long series of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last campaign, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training intensity were to blame, citing a shortage of opportunity for drills. He emphasized the strain on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Plans

Despite a major off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not looking to dip into the winter recruitment market.

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

Looking Ahead

The team experienced their initial loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two points.

Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group win would virtually guarantee a top-eight place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by finding the net in a fifth successive Champions League fixture.

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