Arsenal will be "alert" to possible transfer options this month, so says manager Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners are second in the Premier League, while they have a potentially decisive run of fixtures coming up.

Arsenal face Newcastle United in the EFL Cup semi-finals on Tuesday, before taking on Manchester United in the FA Cup and then rivals Tottenham in the league.

Arteta confirmed on Monday that teenager Ethan Nwaneri, who scored his second Premier League goal as Arsenal drew with Brighton on Saturday, would be out for "a few weeks" with a muscular injury, while Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling remain sidelined.

Kai Havertz is a doubt for the meeting with Newcastle, and while Arteta will not sanction a move for players who do not guarantee improvement, he is open to incomings in the January window.

When asked if he wanted to sign players this month, he said: "That hasn't changed - again the focus is our players.

"Whatever is in the market, we're very alert, but the priority is working with the players that we have at the moment and [the Newcastle game], which is a big night for us.

"It's not a yes, it's not a no!

"We set very high standards and we really want to only have players here that are coming from our academy or we have to sign players to really elevate and impact the team, otherwise just bringing in bodies doesn't help us."

One player who has been linked with a move away from Arsenal is left-back Kieran Tierney, though Arteta said: "There is absolutely no news, Kieran is our player."

Arsenal trail Premier League leaders Liverpool by five points, but Arteta is revelling in the campaign.

He said: "I love it. We are in all the competitions; we are where we want to be in most of them.

"Obviously, in the league for a lot of circumstances, we are not where we want to be which is top, I understand that.

"That willingness to be better every single day to try to improve and not look for excuses because in anything that you do, you look for excuses, you are going to find them.

"These are challenges, these are situations that we are facing, and we are trying to do the very best to overcome them and still be a really good team."