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Arsenal have plenty to consider as their plans for January begin to take shape.
Mikel Arteta has a more immediate headache, with Sunday's visit to Liverpool arriving after a cup exit that left the Gunners red-faced.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
League Two Fleetwood sent the Premier League champions packing on penalties after a 1-1 draw on Tuesday, and while Viktor Gyökeres finally opened his account for the season, Arsenal still failed to turn their superiority into a place in the quarter-finals.
Max Dowman's dismissal and Bruno Guimarães' unsuccessful penalty added to a miserable evening, and Anfield now offers a chance to change the conversation very quickly.
Dowman will miss the Liverpool game after Arsenal's appeal against his red card was rejected.
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Date Home team Score Away team Competition
8 January 2026 Arsenal 0–0 Liverpool Premier League
With Bukayo Saka sidelined by a thigh problem, Arteta's attacking options have been squeezed at precisely the wrong moment before such a demanding away fixture.
Arsenal remain top of the Premier League, having beaten Everton 2-0 last weekend, and one awful cup night has given Arteta plenty to chew over, though his side's league position still gives them something substantial to defend.
The venue brings its own baggage.
Anfield-liverpool
Arsenal last won a league game at Anfield in September 2012, with five draws and eight defeats from their subsequent 13 visits.
Arteta will need his players to keep their heads when Liverpool turn up the volume.
Liverpool have just squeezed past Chelsea on penalties in the Carabao Cup and could receive a timely fitness boost, with Andoni Iraola saying on Friday that Dominik Szoboszlai and Víctor Muñoz both have a chance of featuring.
Arsenal will have their hands full, even as work on potential additions continues behind the scenes, and one name attracting their attention is Bayern Munich teenager Lennart Karl.
Arsenal eye Lennart Karl as Christian Falk reveals Bayern Munich transfer checks
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Bayern insider Christian Falk now says Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United have all taken notice of the German's situation, with early enquiries being made to establish how things stand.
Falk's report also makes clear that Bayern want to keep Karl, whose current contract runs until 2029.
That gives the German club considerable control, and the £50m figure is a valuation rather than an agreed transfer fee, so Arsenal would still have plenty of work ahead of them to turn their interest into a signing.