🔗 Share this article Arteta Fears Fitness Crisis Could Undermine The Gunners' Trophy Quest Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for honors this campaign is being threatened by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule. Latest Squad News Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain on the sidelines. There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American forward added to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle injury. "Practice, no because we lack time to train. But clearly 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 vicious circle." Dowman's setback is the latest in a long series of injuries for the club. Since the start of last campaign, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the English top flight. Long-Term Absentees Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year. Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from knee and "needs more time," as stated by the boss. Arteta dismissed the idea that practice methods were to culprit, citing a shortage of time for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons. Recruitment Plans Despite a major summer investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely looking to enter the winter transfer 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 commented. "We know how important those coming weeks are going to be." Looking Ahead The team suffered their initial defeat in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their advantage at the top of the league to two points. Focus now turns to the European stage, where a sixth group-stage win would all but secure a knockout phase finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could make history by finding the net in a fifth consecutive Champions League match. "We are disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," he stated. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."