🔗 Share this article Arteta Fears Fitness Woes Could Undermine Arsenal's Silverware Hunt Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his squad's chase for titles this campaign is being threatened by a worrying cycle of injuries and a grueling fixture list. Fresh Team News Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League clash to face Club Brugge due to illness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable. There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem. "Practice, no because we lack time to train. But obviously the fact that you are missing players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a truly vicious circle." Dowman's setback is the latest in a long list of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last season, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-most total in the English top flight. Extended Absences Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until the new year. Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from surgery and "requires more time," according to the manager. Arteta dismissed the idea that training methods were to blame, pointing to a lack of opportunity for sessions. He emphasized the pressure on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two years. Transfer Plans Even after a major off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely planning to dip into the January recruitment market. "At the moment we're just concentrating on getting the players back and with luck it will be a matter 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 weekend, cutting their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two points. Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group victory would virtually secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth consecutive European match. "We are disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."