Arsenal eye £58m RB Leipzig winger Nusa as Arteta faces Gyokeres calls ahead of Liverpool trip

Arsenal head to Anfield on Sunday with a depleted squad and mounting transfer questions, after a week that included a Carabao Cup exit to League Two Fleetwood Town and the rejection of Max Dowman’s red card appeal.

Dowman, 16, was sent off for retaliation against Fleetwood’s Harrison Neal during Wednesday’s fourth-round penalty defeat — a result that left Mikel Arteta visibly frustrated on the touchline. The teenager’s appeal has since been dismissed, ruling him out of the Liverpool fixture.

In his pre-match press conference, Arteta addressed his animated reaction toward Dowman during the game. “My reaction was in the heat of the moment and of frustration as I know the consequences for that and especially for Max,” the Spaniard said. “It’s something we discussed just before we went out because it’s not the first time it’s happened — it happened earlier this month with England. It will continue to happen with the way he plays and the way he attracts opponents. We have to be protective of him as he is 16 but also very straight with him about what to expect from him towards the team and the club.”

Off the pitch, Italian outlet Tutto Mercato reports that Arsenal are showing a “serious interest” in RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa. The 21-year-old Norwegian is valued at £58m and has registered 10 goal contributions in 12 appearances this season. Roma are also said to be monitoring the player. Erling Haaland, who has played alongside Nusa for Norway, has previously described him as “something extraordinary”, adding: “He’s delivering at a high level, he’s a great talent and he simply has to keep going.”

Meanwhile, Micah Richards has publicly called on Arteta to cut ties with Viktor Gyokeres in January. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards pointed to the Swedish striker’s return of just one goal in 11 appearances this season as evidence that the move has not worked out. The 28-year-old has looked increasingly frustrated in front of goal, and Richards believes Arsenal should act in the winter window rather than persist with a player yet to find his form.