🔗 Share this article Arteta Hails ‘More Reliable’ Team and Reveals Kai Havertz Injury Blow. Mikel Arteta remains confident that his team can persist in handling with injury setbacks after revealing that forward Kai Havertz remains out for the coming weeks. Prolonged Recovery for German Star The German forward has been sidelined for months after undergoing an operation on his knee. Originally slated to come back at the start of this month, the manager stated the player hit a snag when stepping up his recovery and failed to reach “the next phase.” “We took lessons, and managed to assemble a team that is much more reliable and has more options,” commented Arteta. Tactical Decisions for Brentford Clash This development creates a selection headache for Wednesday’s match against Brentford. Arteta must choose between persisting with Mikel Merino, who got a goal in an unfamiliar forward role last weekend, or reinstating Viktor Gyökeres, who featured briefly from a muscle injury in the latter stages. Veteran striker Gabriel Jesus is also an option after 11 months out. Fitness Doubts Remain Further fitness issues involve centre-back William Saliba and winger Leandro Trossard, who were absent for the Chelsea match. As a result, summer signings Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié are likely to start again in the heart of the defence for the league leaders. Arteta feels the substantial investment on reinforcements ahead of this season has placed the club in a more robust situation to navigate such unavailability. Greater Options Key to Premier League Pursuit When asked if a larger pool of players was helping their league challenge, Arteta was emphatic. “Yes, as this campaign has been worse in the attacking line, and now the situation with the backline,” he added. “We learned from the past that we have to use players in alternative spots, and they must be capable to fulfil different roles if we want to compete at the top. And the instance of Mikel is probably the prime illustration.” Arteta's Support for Frustrated Star Speaking about the delay highlighted by Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, Arteta offered further detail. “He followed all protocols. He was unable to progress to the next level and now it appears like we have solved that issue.” The manager conveyed his eagerness to see him return. “Everyone is eager to have him. Truly, it’s a player that, personally, I admire greatly for what he brings to the team, but his character, his personality. I watch him struggle on the sidelines.” “His playing record is outstanding, he's usually fit, and I am eagerly awaiting to see him return involved playing because I believe it’s going to be a significant uplift.”