If Arsenal are going to continue their Premier League title push, they must do so without Bukayo Saka.

Injured for 'many weeks,' is the half-verdict relayed by Mikel Arteta after initial tests. The Gunners witness their top goal contributor for the season leave the action against Crystal Palace on Saturday holding the back of his right leg - it was not a good sign.

A trip to fortress Brentford before the new year, the first of a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final vs Newcastle United, an FA Cup third round clash with Manchester United, rivals Tottenham Hotspur visiting the Emirates Stadium, and the last matches of the Champions League first phase - this is just a portion of what Arsenal have to come and could be without Saka for.

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And to paint the bleakest of pictures heading into this period, Arteta says: "We started the season with one of the thinnest squads in the Premier League. We knew that."

So, why was this not fixed?

Yes, injuries can unpredictably crop up at any time in football - they are not planned by the manager, but he has rather sleepwalked into this situation.

After all, as last season came to a close before the summer transfer window opened, the boss claimed: "[Compared to last season (2022/23)], I think we have improved quality in the starting XI, capacity to change players, change systems, profiles, and then depth in the squad.

"When it comes to the critical part of the season, the squad is healthy."

The evidence is there on video for all to see.

So Arsenal enter the summer transfer window with this 'strong' squad, better than the season prior. They sign Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, Raheem Sterling and Neto for a combined £90m; they sell no regular first-team starters and somehow come out of it with 'one of the thinnest' teams in the division.

Therefore, I don't buy what Arteta said on Monday one bit.

Whilst acknowledging Sterling was an attempt to add experienced depth to the forward line, it can hardly be described as inspiring.

Arteta needed better, fully planned-out recruitment of a central attacker and right-wing alternative to Saka during the summer, and he failed to deliver by all accounts.

Arsenal's situation right now was an avoidable one, but the boss has left himself to work out how to keep his team in the title race and in the hunt for silverware without their most important player.