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The Gunners' boss has expressed confidence that his team can persist in handling with player absences after confirming that star striker Kai Havertz is not ready for a few more weeks.

Prolonged Recovery for German Star

The Germany international has been absent since August due to knee surgery. Originally slated to return at the start of this month, the manager stated the player hit a snag when advancing his recovery and was unable to move forward “the required stage.”

“We took lessons, and managed to assemble a squad that is considerably steadier and has more options,” Arteta said.

Selection Dilemma for Brentford Clash

This update presents a selection headache for Wednesday’s fixture at the Emirates against Brentford. A decision is required between sticking with Mikel Merino, who scored as a makeshift striker against Chelsea, or bringing back Viktor Gyökeres, who came back after a fitness issue in the latter stages. Long-term absentee Gabriel Jesus is also in contention after 11 months out.

Fitness Doubts Linger

Further fitness issues affect defender William Saliba and attacker Leandro Trossard, who both missed the weekend encounter. As a result, summer signings Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié are expected to keep their places in central defence for the league leaders.

Arteta feels the £250m spend on squad depth in the last transfer window has left Arsenal in a much stronger position to handle such unavailability.

Squad Depth Key to Title Challenge

In response if more options was helping their title quest, the manager agreed. “Absolutely, because this season has presented greater challenges in certain positions, and now what’s happening with the backline,” he noted.

“Our previous experiences taught us that we need to utilize players in various roles, and they need to be prepared to perform various functions if we want to compete at this level. And the case of Mikel Merino.”

Manager’s Sympathy for Suffering Havertz

Commenting on the complication noted by Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, the manager gave additional context. “His recovery was progressing. He was unable to progress to the subsequent stage and now the signs are like we have solved that issue.”

Arteta expressed his keenness to see him return. “Everyone is eager to have him. Truly, he is a footballer who, for me, I value highly for what he brings to the team, but his character, his personality. I see him suffer on the sidelines.”

“His availability record is outstanding, he's usually fit, and I can’t wait to get him back with the squad on the pitch because I feel it’s going to be a significant uplift.”