Mikel Arteta warns Arsenal fans that the club might not make new signings this month
Mikel Arteta has admitted that Arsenal might not be able to add to their squad this month.
Saturday's 1-1 draw with Sheffield United leaves the Gunners down in 10th place in the Premier League table.
Arteta has still only won one top-flight match since taking charge at the Emirates Stadium a month ago.
Arsenal are currently 10 points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea ahead of Wednesday's clash with their London rivals.
And Arteta has warned supporters that it may not be possible to bring in any players before the transfer window closes at the end of January.
“Things haven't moved at all since the weekend,” he said when asked for an update on the club's targets.
“There is nothing new to say on any individual players and when we have more info we'll let you know.
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"It's a possibility, yeah," he added when asked if the window could close without any new players having arrived in north London.
“I would not be unhappy without anybody in because we couldn't, it's because the players we want to bring in have to be players that will help us and make a difference in the squad not just for the sake of just bringing in players.”
Arsenal's top-four chances are likely to be over if they lose to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
But for now Arteta is refusing to admit defeat as the Gunners attempt to secure a return to the Champions League.
“Everybody is having a lot of problems putting together back-to-back wins. The league has been very competitive this season and that's why the gap is not that big.
“There is still another four months to play. A lot of things [can] happen, a lot of games between the top teams as well so I think that will change.
"It's very important [to win against Chelsea] if we want to have the aim to fight for that [a top-four finish].
“The game at home [a 2-1 defeat last month] could have made a big difference as well and we were very close to it so we need a win.”
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).