Arsenal might be without as many as four defenders for Tuesday's big game against Aston Villa at the Emirates.

Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White, and Cristhian Mosquera all missed Arsenal's close win against Brighton on Saturday. That win kept them two points ahead of Manchester City in the title race.

Arsenal spent over £250 million ($337 million) on eight new players this summer, and Arteta is ready to bring in more next month.

The transfer window is open, and we're Arsenal, so we have to see what we need. We have to be actively looking, but whether we can actually do anything is another story, he said. The north London club is trying to win their first English title since 2004.

The Spanish coach added, We always have to be ready because anything can happen, so hopefully, things will go well.

Other clubs have 24 or 25 squad players. We've had more injuries than we expected, and some couldn't be helped. We want to improve and know how important it is to have players available this season.

Villa beat Arsenal 2-1 on December 6, ending Arsenal's 11-game unbeaten run in the league with a goal in added time.

The Birmingham club, after their club-record 11th straight win in all competitions, goes into Tuesday's game knowing a win would put them level on points with Arsenal.

When asked if Villa, managed by his fellow countryman Unai Emery (a former Arsenal boss), were title contenders, Arteta said, They should be in the conversation based on what they're doing, how consistent they've been, and what Unai has done with the club.

They deserve the credit because they're showing it on the field.

But when any team comes here, we want to make them struggle and be as dominant as we were against Brighton for most of the game.

We know it'll be a tough match. We'll re-watch the last game against Villa. I have some ideas about what we need to do better.

The way we lost that game was rough, but we've learned from it and can use that as motivation.

With the January transfer window coming up, Arsenal might be able to sign some new players.

Arsenal's hoping to finally win the Premier League this season. Right now, they're leading the table, ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa. Last game, the Gunners beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 at home.

Mikel Arteta could bring in some new faces in January. If he wants to, he could also let some players leave. This could free up space and money for the team.

Arsenal's Report on Davide Bartesaghi

Bartesaghi is 19 and signed with AC Milan until 2030, so they aren't in a hurry to sell him. They can wait for the right offer. The Italy youth player joined AC Milan in 2012, after a stint at Atalanta.

The defender has climbed through AC Milan’s youth system. He played a lot for them at different youth levels before getting into the first team. The teenager first played for the senior team in 2023 and has since played 28 games in all competitions, 13 of those being this season. Arsenal might see him as someone who could bring more competition and depth to their defence.

Arsenal's ready for the Aston Villa battle.

Arsenal plays again on Tuesday, trying to keep up their winning streak. They're up against Aston Villa, which will be tough since Unai Emery’s team is good. The Midlands team has won their last 12 games in all competitions and beat Chelsea 2-1 in their last game.

After the win against Brighton, Arteta said he was happy with how they played, both as individuals and as a team. He felt they were in charge and a big threat. He was pleased with everything but thought they should have won by more. He mentioned that with all the chances they created, it should never have been a 2-1 game. However, he accepted that's just how the Premier League is, and it's a step they need to take.

He also pointed out that Brighton's first shot resulted in a goal, and their goalie had to make another save to keep the lead. Despite having a lot of problems, he was glad they were dealing with them well. He noted that they lost Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice had to play as a full-back, and he still played great, showing how much they want to win.