Mikel Arteta says that Arsenal are likely to make more signings when the January transfer window opens in order to maintain their Premier League title bid.
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Arsenal are top of the league table and look set to stay there going into the World Cup break this month.
But their lack of squad depth, especially when compared to closest rivals Man City, does leave something to be desired and this shortcoming was exposed on Wednesday.
The Gunners were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Brighton after losing 3-1, their first home defeat of the campaign and only their third defeat of the season so far.
Arteta made 10 changes to his team from their last game and while he claimed that the result did not reflect the performance, it has led some to raise concerns that his team do not have the depth needed to maintain a title challenge.
There will be many games to come after the World Cup, with Arsenal also competing in the FA Cup and Europa League and Arteta was asked in his post-match press conference whether the club would have to dip back into the transfer market.
The manager said: ‘We know where we are at the moment. We know as well that we have certain injuries, and the squad is very, very short.
‘We have tried to manage that in the best possible situation. It’s the same when we win a football match so no excuses. It’s the same squad as when we win.
‘I said from day one that we have a short squad because at the end we left some players. It’s what we have.
‘If everyone’s available and no one is injured we are OK, but the moment there is, we know what it is. It’s nothing new. I think I said it the first day after the transfer window.
‘[January] is a window that is open and we’ll have to discuss the opportunities that we have, the capacity that we have for any changes and be on the market for opportunities because we don’t know what’s going to happen the last game before the World Cup.
‘So it’s a lot of options that are open.’
Arsenal already spent up to £116million over the last summer, on top of the £148m they spent last campaign.
They continue to be linked to a number of players including Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans and Shakhtar star Mykhailo Mudryk.
