As unsettled midfielder Lassana Diarra looks on the verge of leaving the Emirates Stadium for Portsmouth, full back Bacary Sagna maintains Arsenal are a young team very much on the up.
Diarra, 22, only arrived from Chelsea in August, but he has voiced concern at a perceived lack of first-team opportunities after just eight starts, and only four in the Barclays Premier League.
Manager Arsene Wenger had made it clear he wanted Diarra to stay and fight for his place.
But after leaving the midfielder out of the squad for the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Tottenham earlier this month, the Gunners boss now appears willing to allow a clearly unhappy player to leave.
Portsmouth are understood to be close to completing a £5.5million deal, as Harry Redknapp seeks re-enforcements for a squad which has been hit by players leaving for the African Nations Cup.
Wenger, meanwhile, maintains he has no intention of dipping into the transfer market despite the loss of Ivory Coast duo Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure, his regular centre-back, as well as youngster Alex Song.
Arsenal saw themselves slip off the top of the Barclays Premier League following a 1-1 home draw with Birmingham last weekend, which was followed by Manchester United's 6-0 thrashing of troubled Newcastle.
The Gunners head to Fulham on Saturday looking to extend their unbeaten run to 11 games and in search of a sixth away league win to keep the pressure on the Red Devils.
Sagna, who joined from Auxerre in a £6million deal during the summer, is in no doubt Wenger's men have the "mental strength" to last the course.
"Before the start of the season, everyone was speaking about our team, and it being young. We wanted to show them we can play better and better, even if we are younger," he said.
"We have shown how mentally strong we are and that we can win even if we are losing."
Sagna told Arsenal TV Online: "Everyone can support the pressure - and I think the pressure is actually on the other teams, but not us."
Born in France to parents of Senegalese descent, the full-back has quickly established himself in the Gunners side, forming an impressive partnership with Eboue down the right before the winger left for the African Nations Cup.
Sagna has chalked up close to 30 first-team appearances already, with Wenger admitting the defender's rapid progress had come as a "complete surprise".
The 24-year-old has credited his fast adaptation to a "fighting spirit" and being able to throw himself into his role head on.
"It is a great chance for me and I am very happy," Sagna said. "I arrived and tried to play my own game quickly.
"Playing for Arsenal is fantastic. I try to do better game after game and I would like to thank everyone who has helped me adapt.
Sagna added: "It is different for a forward because defenders are so hard on them, for me it was easier.
"I have always had a fighting spirit and wanted to play for a great team. Now I am playing for Arsenal and want to show what I can do."
Wenger may have ruled out any major moves into the transfer market himself, but reports suggest Arsenal are close to a deal for highly-rated Torpedo Moscow defender Vyacheslav Dmitriev, which would bring the 17-year-old to Emirates Stadium at the end of the campaign while Russian striker Andrei Arshavin is another said to be on the Gunners' radar.
With talks on-going to secure the arrival of youngster Luke Freeman, 15, from Gillingham, Wenger remains keen to recruit home-grown talent whenever possible.
That policy, though, often comes at a price, albeit with no concerns over whether they can settle into a new way of life.
Wenger reflected: "There is less uncertainty about English players' adaptation period. You know what you get.
"When you get a player from Spain, for example, there is always a question mark. Will he adapt to the English winter? Will he love the country? Will he want to stay?
"With English players you don't get that kind of problem."
The Arsenal manager accepted the luxury of time to weigh up a potential transfer target is not often available.
"We need to make quick decisions because we are competing with the other clubs. Some you have to say 'yes' or 'no' without the time to get all the guarantees," Wenger said.
"You can go home at midnight and if you don't make a decision by 5am then the guy has gone somewhere else. He'll have two planes booked. One goes to, say, Paris St-Germain and one comes to London."
