Arsenal splashed out an eye-watering £1.2m on their sunshine trip to Dubai.

That figure might not go down well with some fans who were fuming that the club did not spend a penny in the January transfer window when they were crying out for a striker. And the six-day trip to Dubai then went horribly wrong when ’s only fit striker, Kai Havertz, suffered a torn hamstring which has

Arsenal then lost their first home game back after the Dubai break as which effectively ended any hopes of winning the title because they are now 11 points behind . The trip to Dubai saw them take the entire first team squad and a huge swathe of backroom staff who travelled by a private charter plane.

Arsenal’s players are used to five star luxury and Dubai is an expensive playground for stars. It was designed to be a much-needed break for Arsenal who had a ten day spell without games as they had gone out of the .

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It was a mix of rest and recuperation but they also trained hard - they are believed to have only had one complete day off - and it was in one of the sessions when Havertz injured his hamstring.

Havertz has subsequently undergone surgery and is now hoping to be fit for pre-season but , and are also out injured.

There is always a debate over whether players would benefit more for a mid-season sunshine break or a complete rest and time at home with their families amid a gruelling campaign. Arteta has acknowledged “loading” issues as a factor for players but has largely put the absences down to bad luck and circumstances rather than overtraining or overplaying.

Are Arsenal still in the title race?

Arsenal put a great deal of emphasis on last season’s trip to Dubai being a huge success in terms of a bonding exercise while it also allowed them to put a bad spell of form behind them and they enjoyed a winning run after they returned home which breathed new life into their season.

On the back of last year, the club emphasised that this season’s trip was factored into the budget and the players, staff and everyone involved enjoyed it and saw it as a major benefit and a valuable bonding exercise.

Arsenal played 17 games in quick succession in December and January to leave the players exhausted and in need of a break. Other Premier League clubs also took advantage of the chance to jet away if they had a break in fixtures.

Arsenal do have strong commercial and partner tie-ups in Dubai so sponsorship deals would have helped offset the financial outlay and also strengthen future relationships.

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