Speaking to the press after his team’s early exit from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the squad at his command was ‘short’, indicating that the club would likely be in the market for new signings when the January transfer window opens.
Arteta made no less than 10 changes to his starting XI from the win over Chelsea for the coming of the Seagulls to the Emirates, with only defender William Saliba keeping his place. He did, however, introduce a number of usual starters later in the match, including Gabriel Magalhaes, Granit Xhaka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, along with Oleksandr Zinchenko. Still, it wasn’t enough to progress to the next round past Roberto De Zerbi’s men.
“That’s the squad that we have,” Arteta said in answer to a question about the need to spend on new players midseason.
“We have to utilise in the best possible way and today we came short, especially because we didn’t do what we have to do in both boxes to win a football match. We paid that price.
“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 okay, 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.”
Arsenal are believed looking to sign a new winger and a defensive midfielder, having failed to land Raphinha who left Leeds United to join Barcelona, and Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz.
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