JAKARTA - Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the club are ready to deal with the injury problem by actively looking for new players when the transfer window reopens next month.
Arteta is likely to be without up to four defenders for the crucial Premier League match against Aston Villa at the Emirates on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White, and Cristhian Mosquera were all unable to play in Arsenal's tense victory over Brighton on Saturday, December 27, 2025.
The victory now puts the Gunners two points ahead of title rivals Manchester City at the top of the table.
The depth of Arteta's squad has been tested this season, with a number of players out for extended periods through injury.
After spending more than £250 million on eight new signings in the summer, the Spaniard did not rule out adding more players in January 2026.
"The transfer market is open. I mean, we are Arsenal and we have to consider it. Okay, what do we need?"
"We have to actively search. Then, whether we can do it or not, that's another story. However, our task is always to be very ready because something can happen, so hopefully the results will be very positive."
"If you look at other clubs, they have 24 or 25 players in the squad. Even though we have had more injuries than expected, some of which were unavoidable, we want to get better and know how important it is to have the right players available this season," said Arteta.
Aston Villa ended Arsenal's unbeaten run in 11 league games with a 2-1 victory in the final minutes on December 6, 2025.
The two teams will face each other for the second time in a month. Aston Villa is trying to join Arsenal and Manchester City in the competition for the league title this season.
Unai Emery's side, who have just secured a club record 11th straight win in all competitions, will face the Gunners knowing they can match Arsenal's points tally by claiming three points at the Emirates.
Arteta also agreed that The Villans were not an easy opponent and became one of the contenders for the league title.
"They deserve to be there if you look at what they've done and how consistent they've been and what Unai has done with this club."
"They fully deserve that praise because they did it on the pitch, where you have to show your level."
"However, every opponent who comes here, we want them to suffer. We want to dominate like we did against Brighton in most of the games."
"We know we're going to face a difficult game. We'll watch the last game (against Aston Villa) back."
"I have some ideas about things we have to do better. The way we lost was quite cruel, but we have learned from it."
"We can use it as motivation and spirit in the right way," said Arteta.
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