🔗 Share this article Arteta Warns Injury Woes Could Undermine Arsenal's Silverware Hunt Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his squad's chase for honors this campaign is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule. Latest Squad Update Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still on the sidelines. There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot injury. "Training, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly dangerous circle." Dowman's issue is the latest in a long list of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start of last campaign, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League. Extended Absences Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until the new year. Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from surgery and "needs more time," according to the manager. Arteta dismissed the suggestion that training methods were to blame, citing a shortage of time for sessions. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons. Recruitment Strategy Even after a major off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not looking to dip into the winter transfer market. "Right now we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of a short time," he said. "We know how crucial those weeks are going to be." Next Challenge The squad suffered their first loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their lead at the top of the league to two clear points. Focus now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group-stage win would virtually guarantee a knockout phase finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by finding the net in a fifth successive Champions League fixture. "We are disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."