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Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a concerning circle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Latest Squad Update

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

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle injury.

"Training, 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 circle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long series of injuries for the club. Since the start of last campaign, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absentees

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

Arteta dismissed the idea that training intensity were to culprit, pointing to a lack of time for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a significant off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the club is unlikely planning to dip into the January transfer market.

"Right now we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a question of a short time," he said. "It's clear how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their first defeat in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their advantage at the top of the league to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group-stage win would virtually secure a top-eight place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League match.

"We are disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."