Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal want to "be on the market for opportunities" in the fast-approaching January transfer window.
The Spaniard is under pressure to bolster his ranks after a 3-1 defeat to Brighton at the Emirates. The Gunners took the lead through Eddie Nketiah - but goals from Danny Welbeck, Kaoru Mitoma and Tariq Lamptey dumped them out of the EFL Cup.
Wednesday night's result has left Arsenal fans wondering if their squad has enough depth to mount a Premier League title charge. Arteta's side are currently two points clear of Manchester City in second but may struggle to maintain their lead after the World Cup.
Arteta made 10 changes for the EFL Cup tie by starting the likes of Karl Hein, Cedric Soares and Reiss Nelson. The Gunners now have one fewer competitions to win this season. They haven't tasted success since winning the Community Shield in August 2020.
In his post-match press conference, Arteta was asked whether Arsenal will enter the transfer market in January. "That’s a window that is open and we’ll have to discuss the opportunities that we have and be on the market for opportunities," came his reply.
Arteta was asked the same question by BBC Sport. He replied: "That's the squad that we have. We have to utilise in the best possible way and today we came short. 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."
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The Gunners took the lead on Wednesday night thanks to Nketiah's first-half strike. Yet Brighton were back on level terms seven minutes later when Hein brought down ex-Arsenal star Welbeck in the box. The former Gunner made no mistake from the penalty spot.
Mitoma finished a brilliant move to give the visitors a second-half lead before Lamptey ended the scoring in the 71st minute. Despite the defeat, Arteta had no regrets over his team selection. "I would select the same players if I had the opportunity again," he said.
"There was a big difference between efficiency in both areas and we paid a big price for it. It's a shame for the boys because they really tried and we should have scored two or three in the second half."
There were two other big shocks in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night. Tottenham suffered a huge blow in their pursuit of silverware after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Spurs haven't lifted a trophy since their EFL Cup win in 2008.
West Ham were also knocked out of the competition by Championship side Blackburn at the London Stadium. A late equaliser from Blackburn's Ben Brereton Diaz forced the tie to go to penalties and the visitors secured a dramatic 10-9 victory to progress.
The other teams to reach the last 16 of the EFL Cup were Man City, Leicester, Bournemouth, Burnley, Lincoln, Charlton, MK Dons, Gillingham, Newcastle, Southampton, Wolves and Liverpool. Manchester United and Aston Villa play on Thursday night.
