Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the club will be actively looking at potential signings during the January transfer window as injury problems continue to affect the squad.
According to the BBC Sport on Monday, the Gunners spent around £250m in the summer, bringing in eight new players in an effort to strengthen the squad and compete across multiple competitions. Despite that investment, Arsenal have once again been disrupted by injuries.
Last season, injuries played a major role in derailing their campaign. Defender Gabriel Magalhaes missed the final part of the season, while midfielder Mikel Merino was used as a makeshift striker. Arsenal finished second in the Premier League for the third consecutive year and were knocked out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage by Paris St-Germain.
This season has followed a similar pattern. Arsenal have already been without Kai Havertz, while captain Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, and Max Dowman have all spent time on the sidelines.
More recently, the injury issues have shifted to the defence. Arteta was forced to play Declan Rice at right-back in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brighton after Jurrien Timber was ruled out and Riccardo Calafiori suffered an injury during the warm-up.
Gabriel returned in that match, but the return dates for Cristhian Mosquera, Timber, and Calafiori remain unclear.
Arteta said Arsenal will closely monitor the situation as the season progresses.
“We’re going to be really aware of the situation and the timescale of certain players.
“We have to be actively looking, and then can we do it or not? That’s a different story, but our job is to always be very prepared because something can happen,” he added.
