'Preparation is done' - Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta makes January transfer claim after double injury blow

Asked if the club planned to conduct some January business, Arteta said: “Yes, the preparation is done. We are ready if something happens. Obviously we didn’t predict the situation with Bukayo and Raheem at the same time. We predicted more if something has happened, for example, in the defensive line. But the job is done. Then, okay, if something has to happen we will be open. But the main focus is now how we should strive to distil the potential that there is in this squad.”

Arteta discusses fixture schedule

The Arsenal boss was asked if the fixture schedule had a role to play in the injuries suffered by his players. The Spaniard felt it was more of a build up of a games over the seasons, as he said: “Yeah, but it's probably more the accumulation of seasons. You know, for example, Bukayo and Declan they played over 130 games in two seasons. So what's gonna happen in the second one, the third one or the fourth one, if that continues the same way?

“Probably it's unsustainable, unless we find ways to, yeah, physically turn them into monsters, you know, that they can cope with anything. Because the fact that you train and recover is not a good pattern. Because that means that you don't train and the body needs to train, the muscle needs to train. You just play and recover, you start to lose a lot of factors, a lot of qualities within your body, the physical aspects that are key to performance. Not just to play, not to get injured, but to become a better athlete, which is very different and keep evolving as an athlete, and that's a challenge, but okay, we're trying to find ways to do it.”

Options to replace Saka

Arteta feels there are a number of options to fill in for Saka, and was asked in his pre-match press conference if Gabriel Martinelli was one of those. He continued: “Yeah, well, that's the first one that we decided to go through, especially because he's played there before. He played the last game there against Everton in the last match of the season. He did really well. I think he did really well again the other day. He scored a goal, he created an assist. And it's a good option to have. We're going to have the options to play both footed as well. If we need to, another kind of profile in relation to the opposition. So, we are on it.”

He added: “Gabby has played there, Ethan has played there, Leo can play there in relation to how that unit moves. Kai can play there, asking him different things. So, We'll see, try to speak to them as well and understand how they feel about it.”