Arteta Fears Injury Woes Could Hinder The Gunners' Silverware Hunt

Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's chase for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list.

Latest Team Update

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward registered to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle injury.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a extensive series of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-most 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 rehabilitate from knee and "needs more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training methods were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two years.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a significant summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is unlikely looking to enter the January transfer market.

"At the moment we're just focusing on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a question of a short time," he said. "It's clear how important those weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The team suffered their initial loss in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their lead at the summit of the league to two clear points.

Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group win would all but secure a knockout phase place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth consecutive Champions League fixture.

"The team is frustrated 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."