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Arsenal are facing several injury problems and could use the January transfer window to protect themselves against further setbacks.
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal must ‘actively consider’ signings during the January transfer window, amid injuries affecting the Premier League leaders.
Arsenal have dealt with injuries throughout the campaign and are heading towards Tuesday’s crucial clash with unlikely challengers Aston Villa with several fitness issues.
Kai Havertz (knee) remains sidelined due to an injury sustained on matchday one, while Cristhian Mosquera (ankle), Ben White (hamstring) and Max Dowman (ankle) are also out.
Riccardo Calafiori (muscle) and Jurrien Timber (shot) are doubts for the Villa match.
Captain Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke have all missed games through injuries, and Arteta admits Arsenal may need to strengthen the squad to protect against further setbacks.
“We are going to be very aware of the situation and the schedule of certain players [returning from injury]”, Arteta said. “If you move from the front line to the back line, that’s the depth you need. When you look at other clubs, they have 24 or 25 players, so there is nothing special in our squad.
“The fact is we’ve had more injuries than expected, some unavoidable I would say, but we want to be better, and we know how big a role good player availability is going to play in the season.
“The window is there. We are Arsenal and we have to look at it and say ‘OK, what do we need?’ We need to actively search, and can we do that or not? That’s another story, but our job is to always be very prepared because something can happen.
In the immediate future, Arteta is relishing a clash with a Villa side just three points behind Arsenal and on an 11-match winning run, including a 2-1 win over the Gunners earlier this month.
“We have a really difficult game. We know their level, what they do, but it’s also a great game to prepare for and play,” Arteta said.
“They deserve to be there. Look at what they do and how consistent they have been, and what Unai has done with the club. I think they fully deserve that credit because they do it on the pitch where you have to show your level.
“We’ll look back at him. I have some ideas and things we need to improve. It was pretty cruel too, the way we lost him, but we’ll learn from it.”
