🔗 Share this article Mikel Arteta Fears Injury Woes Could Undermine Arsenal's Silverware Hunt Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for honors this season is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list. Latest Team News Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League clash to Belgium due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender 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 suffered an ankle 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 truly vicious circle." 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 recorded 95 player absences, the second-most total in the Premier League. Extended Absences Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until 2025. Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from knee and "requires more time," according to the manager. Arteta dismissed the suggestion that training methods were to culprit, citing a lack of opportunity for drills. He emphasized the pressure on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons. Transfer Plans Even after a significant summer investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not looking to enter the winter transfer market. "Right now we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a question of weeks," he said. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be." Looking Ahead The squad suffered their initial loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the summit of the league to two points. Focus now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would all but secure a knockout phase finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make history by scoring in a fifth successive European match. "We are frustrated with the outcome, but we have to move forward," he said. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."