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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's chase for titles this campaign is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Fresh Squad Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

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

"Practice, no because we lack time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really dangerous cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a extensive series of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last season, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Extended Absentees

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

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that practice methods were to blame, pointing to a shortage of time for drills. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a major off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the club is not planning to dip into the January recruitment market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of weeks," he said. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad suffered their initial loss in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their lead at the summit of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group-stage victory would all but guarantee a knockout phase finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth successive Champions League fixture.

"The team is disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," he stated. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."