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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for titles this season is being jeopardized by a worrying cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling fixture list.

Latest Squad Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker added to their Champions League squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle problem.

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a really dangerous cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a long list of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice intensity were to culprit, pointing to a lack of opportunity for drills. He emphasized the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Despite a significant summer investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not planning to enter the winter transfer market.

"Right now we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of a short time," he said. "We know how important those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their initial defeat in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the top of the league to two points.

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would all but guarantee a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make history by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive European fixture.

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