🔗 Share this article Arteta Warns Fitness Crisis Could Undermine Arsenal's Trophy Hunt Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's chase for titles this campaign is being jeopardized by a worrying circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule. Fresh Squad News Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain unavailable. There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American forward registered to their Champions League squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot injury. "Practice, no because we lack time to train. But obviously the fact that you are missing players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a really vicious circle." Dowman's issue is the latest in a extensive list of injuries for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League. Extended Absences Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until the new year. Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "needs more time," according to the boss. Arteta dismissed the suggestion that practice intensity were to blame, pointing to a shortage of time for drills. He emphasized the strain on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons. Recruitment Plans Despite a major summer investment over £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not planning to dip into the January transfer market. "At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a question of weeks," he said. "We know how crucial those weeks are going to be." Next Challenge The squad experienced their initial loss in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their lead at the top of the Premier League to two clear points. Attention now turns to the European stage, where a sixth group victory would all but guarantee a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by scoring in a fifth consecutive European match. "We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."