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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a concerning cycle of injuries and a grueling fixture list.

Latest Squad Update

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League clash to Belgium due to illness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain on the sidelines.

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 injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle injury.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously 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 vicious cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive series of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning 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 not expected to return until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice methods were to blame, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Recruitment Plans

Despite a significant summer spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is unlikely looking to enter the January recruitment market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating 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 suffered their first loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the top of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group win would virtually secure a knockout phase place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League match.

"We are frustrated with the outcome, but we have to move forward," he stated. "This isn't like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."