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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta does not think the title race will only involve two teams during the second half of the season.
The Gunners are currently in second place in the table, four points behind league leaders Liverpool, while the Premier League’s other familiar big-hitters are enduring difficult campaigns.
Manchester City and Chelsea are 12 and 10 points off top spot respectively, and the other members of the division’s traditional Big Six, Manchester United and Tottenham, are both in the bottom half of the table.
Nottingham Forest and Newcastle are currently in third and fourth respectively, and Arteta’s comments suggest he thinks both of those clubs could be in the title equation come the end of the season.
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“I don’t think so,” Arteta said when asked if it is a straight fight between Liverpool and Arsenal for the title. “When you look at every game in the Premier League and the margins and how teams are winning football matches, it can go either way. In two or three weeks we could be talking about something different. We are still in January so it is going to be a long, long run.”
Arsenal has been hit with serious injuries to important players in recent weeks, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus both facing significant spells on the sidelines, and Arteta admitted that Arsenal is considering dipping into the transfer market in order to boost the squad for the second half of the season.
“At the moment we don’t have them [new signings],” Arteta said. “We are actively trying to find the best possible solution but we will have to wait and see what we can do.”
Asked about the profile of player he is looking for, Arteta responded: “That’s not something that I’m going to discuss here. Obviously we have lost two massive players for us in the frontline and we need some support there.”