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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for honors this season is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of injuries and a grueling schedule.

Latest Squad News

Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to face Club Brugge due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot problem.

"Training, 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 knock-on effect to that and it's a truly dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a long list of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "requires more time," according to the manager.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that training intensity were to culprit, citing a lack of opportunity for drills. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a significant off-season investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not looking to dip into the winter recruitment market.

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

Next Challenge

The team experienced their first defeat in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group victory would virtually guarantee a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make history by scoring in a fifth consecutive European match.

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," Martinelli stated. "It's not like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."