MIKEL ARTETA insists he wont be forced into a panic buy after Shkodran Mustafi added to Arsenals defensive crisis.
The German centre-half was carried off with suspected ankle ligament damage after a collision with keeper Emiliano Martinez during last nights FA Cup win at Bournemouth.
ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Follow for all the latest on the Gunners
Mustafi will undergo a scan this morning and worried Arteta admitted: We are assessing the injury but normally when a central defender has to come off its not good news.
Yet even with Calum Chambers and Kieran Tierney already sidelined by long-term injuries, the Gunners boss insisted the club will not up their bid for Flamengo defender Pablo Mari, who has flown back to Brazil after undergoing an Arsenal medical at the weekend.
He said: We have a very clear intention of what we want to do in the transfer market with the resources we have.
If we can do a deal for Mari, fine. But Mustafis fitness wont change anything.
Arteta also ruled out any possibility of selling skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona before Fridays transfer deadline and said: I want Auba here, 100 percent.
I am so happy with him and I cant wait to have him available again after suspension.
Arteta was delighted with his young team as first-half goals from Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah secured a fifth round trip to League One Portsmouth.
He said: We played a really young squad and I was very pleased with the reaction I saw.
In the first-half they executed everything we planned in a really good way and showed they have the courage to make big decisions.
These kids are not the icing on the cake, they are probably the core of the team at the moment and I really like the way they play with that accountability, to not be scared or to play safe.
Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe admitted: I was hugely disappointed with the way we started the game. We were too far off Arsenal, we struggled in the duels and we didnt win enough tackles.
Our mentality was way below the level I expected and thats concerning for me.
LADBROKES 1-2-FREE Simply predict Man Utd, Arsenal and Spurs vs Man City scores this coming weekend and win 100
“Were really kicking ourselves because the opportunity was there for us to do a lot better.
We responded well in the second-half but recovered too late to change the game.
I never have the mentality that going out of the Cup allows us to focus on the League. I want to win every game.”
