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Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying circle of injuries and a grueling schedule.

Latest Squad Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for 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, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker added to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle injury.

"Training, no because we lack time to train. But obviously the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long series of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Extended Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from knee and "requires more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training methods were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of time for sessions. He emphasized the pressure on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a significant off-season investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not looking to enter the winter transfer market.

"At the moment we're just focusing on getting the players back and with luck it will be a matter of weeks," he commented. "We know how important those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their initial defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the summit of the league to two points.

Attention now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group win would virtually guarantee a top-eight place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth consecutive European match.

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," he said. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."