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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for honors this campaign is being jeopardized by a worrying circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.

Latest Squad News

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to face Club Brugge due to illness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker added to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot injury.

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly 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 circle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a long list of injuries for the North London side. Since the beginning of last season, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absences

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

Arteta dismissed the idea that training methods were to blame, pointing to a lack of time for sessions. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two years.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a significant off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not planning to enter the winter transfer market.

"Right now 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 matches at the weekend, cutting their lead at the top of the league to two clear points.

Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group victory would virtually secure a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by finding the net in a fifth consecutive Champions League match.

"We are disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."