Martin Ødegaard has emerged in a surprising new transfer story, with reports suggesting the Arsenal captain is open to joining Bayern Munich. The claim adds an awkward twist for Mikel Arteta, especially given the timing and the player’s importance to the club’s current direction.

Previous links between Ødegaard and Bayern have been treated as speculative, but this round of reporting is said to carry “new momentum” after Sky Germany indicated that the midfielder may be willing to move to Bavaria. Arsenal are believed to want to secure fresh terms for the 27-year-old, yet the club is already dealing with Declan Rice’s lucrative renewal.

Bayern, notably, are not said to be pushing aggressively for the move. Instead, the German side are reportedly prepared to wait while Ødegaard’s contract situation remains unresolved. With less than two years left on his current deal, the uncertainty is enough to create concern around one of Arsenal’s most influential figures.

For Arteta, the issue goes beyond one contract. He has repeatedly spoken about building a club that can challenge at the very top, and his ambition has been clear. “It’s certainly the ambition of the club and the owners to be the best club in the world,” Arteta declared ahead of the current campaign. He also said he wants “the best facilities, the best stadium, the best supporters” and “the best players in the world.”

That is why the possibility of losing Ødegaard would cut so deeply. Arsenal’s captain is viewed as a central part of the manager’s project, a trusted lieutenant whose influence is felt across the pitch. Gabriel provides the defensive base, Rice drives the midfield and Bukayo Saka carries the star billing, but Ødegaard remains the player who best reflects Arteta’s ideas.

He is fundamental to Arsenal’s work in possession and without it, and his growing output in front of goal has only strengthened his standing. He is also a key presser, making his value to the team even greater. Any hint that he could leave would challenge the image of a side still moving upward.

Arsenal have failed in their bid to overturn the red card shown to Max Dowman in the midweek defeat to Fleetwood Town, with the Football Association confirming the appeal has been dismissed.

Dowman was dismissed for violent conduct in the 85th minute after kicking out at Harrison Neal. The 16-year-old reacted after a forceful challenge from the Fleetwood midfielder went unpunished by referee Michael Salisbury.

The FA later issued a statement confirming the outcome of Arsenal’s case. It read: “An independent Regulatory Commission has dismissed claims of both wrongful dismissal and excessive punishment for Max Dowman.”

The decision leaves Dowman facing a three-match suspension in domestic competition. That ban begins with Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Liverpool, a significant test for the reigning champions.

He will be available for the Champions League trip to Slavia Prague, as domestic suspensions do not apply in UEFA competitions. But Dowman will then sit out league matches at home to Hull City and away to Newcastle United, either side of the November international break.

His next domestic appearance is scheduled to come against Manchester City on Nov. 29, a meeting that is shaping up as a major one in the title race.

Ordinarily, the teenager’s absence would not trouble Mikel Arteta too heavily, with Dowman still largely a bit-part player in the Premier League and Champions League. Yet the timing is awkward for Arsenal, who are already managing a depleted squad.

Arteta is also without Bukayo Saka, Arsenal’s first-choice right winger, after the England international suffered a thigh injury in the recent Champions League match with Bayern Munich. His return date remains unclear, although he is expected to miss around two months of action.

Mikel Arteta has been left juggling a growing list of fitness worries ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Liverpool, with Declan Rice among those under an injury cloud. The midfielder was forced off against Everton last weekend after, in Arteta’s words, he finished with “a problem”, leaving his availability for Sunday’s clash at Anfield uncertain.

Rice is not the only concern. Arteta admitted after Arsenal’s Carabao Cup exit that “Riccardo was out, Noni was out with an ankle and Declan Rice finished with a problem the other day,” underscoring the scale of the issue facing his side.

Some absences, though, are already clearer. Bukayo Saka has joined William Saliba on the list of long-term injuries after damaging his left quad in the Champions League draw with Bayern Munich. Saka is expected to miss at least six weeks and will not be back before the start of December at the earliest.

Saliba’s situation remains less defined. The defender has not played this season since surgery on a persistent back problem that became too much for him at this summer’s World Cup. Arteta has described the signs in his recovery as “very, very positive”, but he has not offered a return date, with the end of November mentioned only as a loose target.

There is also uncertainty around Christos Tzolis. The summer signing picked up a thigh problem while on international duty with Greece in the fall and was ruled out for around three weeks. He may yet have a role on Sunday, but his status remains unresolved.

Elsewhere, Max Dowman will not be able to win Arteta over through the FA, although Arsenal could still try to secure the teenager’s availability by appealing his red card against Fleetwood. The 16-year-old was dismissed for kicking out at Harrison Neal, with the force described as minimal but still enough for a straight red. With no VAR at this stage of the Carabao Cup, Michael Salisbury’s on-field call stood at the time. Dowman was found guilty of violent conduct, which the FA Handbook describes as “when a player uses or attempts to use excessive force or brutality against an opponent when not challenging for the ball.”