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Arsenal's manager remains confident that his team can continue to cope with player absences after disclosing that attacker Kai Havertz is not ready for a few more weeks.

Prolonged Recovery for Havertz

The German forward has been sidelined since the summer after undergoing an operation on his knee. Hoped to come back sooner, Arteta explained the player faced a hurdle when advancing his rehabilitation and was unable to move forward “to the next level.”

“Our experience helped us build a team that is considerably steadier and has increased versatility,” commented Arteta.

Tactical Decisions for Midweek Fixture

This development creates a selection headache for the midweek home game against Brentford. The manager needs to decide between continuing to use Mikel Merino, who found the net as a makeshift striker against Chelsea, or reinstating Viktor Gyökeres, who featured briefly after a fitness issue off the bench. Long-term absentee Gabriel Jesus remains in contention following a lengthy absence.

Defensive Concerns Remain

Additional concerns affect centre-back William Saliba and winger Leandro Trossard, who sat out the Stamford Bridge game. As a result, summer signings Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié will probably start again in the backline for the table-toppers.

Arteta feels the significant outlay on reinforcements ahead of this season has resulted in a much stronger position to deal with such setbacks.

Greater Options Vital for Title Challenge

Questioned if more options was helping their title quest, the manager agreed. “Absolutely, since the current term has presented greater challenges in certain positions, and now the situation with the backline,” he added.

“History has shown us that we must deploy players in various roles, and they need to be prepared to adapt to new tasks if we want to compete at the highest level. And the case of Mikel is probably the prime illustration.”

Arteta's Support for Suffering Star

Addressing the delay highlighted by national team coach Julian Nagelsmann, Arteta provided more insight. “He was doing everything. He could not go to the next level and now it appears like we have unlocked that.”

He shared his eagerness to have him back. “The team is keen to have him. I mean, it’s a player that, for me, I admire greatly for what he brings to the team, but his mentality, his nature. I see him suffer being outside.”

“His fitness history is phenomenal, he's rarely been injured, and I can’t wait to get him back involved playing because I believe it’s going to be a huge lift.”