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Mikel Arteta feels assured that his side can persist in handling with player absences after confirming that star striker Kai Havertz is not ready for several more weeks.

Prolonged Recovery for German Star

Havertz has been absent since the summer due to knee surgery. Originally slated to return at the start of this month, Arteta explained the player hit a snag when stepping up his training and was unable to move forward “to the next level.”

“Our experience helped us build a squad that is much more reliable and has increased versatility,” commented Arteta.

Selection Dilemma for Brentford Clash

This update leaves a selection headache for Wednesday’s match against Brentford. A decision is required between persisting with Mikel Merino, who scored playing out of position last weekend, or recalling Viktor Gyökeres, who made a return after a fitness issue in the latter stages. Veteran striker Gabriel Jesus is available following a lengthy absence.

Fitness Doubts Persist

More doubts affect centre-back William Saliba and winger Leandro Trossard, who were absent for the Stamford Bridge game. Therefore, recent arrivals Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié are likely to continue in the heart of the defence for the Premier League front-runners.

Arteta feels the £250m spend on squad depth during the summer has placed the club in a much stronger position to deal with such unavailability.

Squad Depth Vital for Title Challenge

Questioned if a larger pool of players was benefiting their league challenge, his response was positive. “Indeed, since the current term has seen more issues 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 different positions, and they need to be prepared to adapt to new tasks if we want to compete at this level. And the instance of Mikel is probably the prime illustration.”

Manager’s Sympathy for Suffering Havertz

Commenting on the setback noted by Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, Arteta offered more insight. “He was doing everything. He failed to advance to the subsequent stage and now it appears like we have solved that issue.”

He shared his eagerness to see him return. “The team is keen to have him. Honestly, he is a footballer who, in my view, I admire greatly for the qualities he offers to the team, but his personality, his attitude. I watch him struggle on the sidelines.”

“His playing record is phenomenal, he’s been always available, and I look forward to have him back with the squad and playing because I believe it’s going to be a huge lift.”