Arsenal are sweating on the fitness of Bukayo Saka after the England winger limped out of Tuesday's 2-2 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich in the 10th minute, clutching his quadriceps. Manager Mikel Arteta said after the match that his medical staff were "concerned" and that the situation "doesn't look good at all" — words that will alarm the club's supporters.

How much does Saka matter?

The numbers tell a stark story. Since becoming a regular starter in 2020/21, Saka has been involved in Arsenal winning 64.2 percent of Premier League games he has started — compared to just 53.3 percent in matches he has missed. Last season the gap was even wider: Arsenal won 76 percent of their games with him in the starting XI, against 53.8 percent without him.

This season, Saka leads all Arsenal players in Premier League goals with three, and ranks first among his teammates for shots, touches in the opposition box, and expected goals. Gradient Sports' performance grading system rates him as the Premier League's best-performing player by execution — above Elliot Anderson — and he even tops the Arsenal charts for tackles.

His recent form has attracted some criticism following below-par displays against Nottingham Forest and Leeds, but a goal and an assist off the bench against Lille last week underlined his continued importance. The injury arrives with Arteta's attack already stretched — summer signing Christos Tzolis remains weeks away from returning from a thigh problem, and Arsenal were unable to land Vinicius Jr or Julian Alvarez during the transfer window.

Can Madueke fill the void?

Eberechi Eze replaced Saka against Bayern Munich, moving to the left to allow Noni Madueke to occupy Saka's right-wing role. Madueke had already impressed on the left flank in the wins over Leeds and Nottingham Forest, netting the decisive goal from the bench in the latter fixture to earn his start at the Allianz Arena.

Playing on the right is Madueke's natural habitat — like Saka, the 24-year-old favours cutting inside on his left foot. He contributed to Declan Rice's equaliser against Bayern with a precise first-time pass to Viktor Gyokeres. However, he remains a less consistent option than Saka, as illustrated against Lille when he made 14 unsuccessful crosses before finally providing the assist for Jurrien Timber's opener.

Arteta has defended Madueke's high-volume approach. "When you talk about players being 'clinical', sometimes that means scoring five in every 100," the Arsenal manager said after the Lille match. "It's about generating volume, more actions and getting him into the good positions, because he will decide matches."

Time to trust Dowman?

With Tzolis sidelined, 16-year-old Max Dowman was Arsenal's only other natural wide option at the Allianz Arena. Dowman has already written his name into the record books — he became Arsenal's youngest-ever starter in last October's Carabao Cup tie against Brighton at 15 years and 302 days old, before going on to become the Premier League's youngest scorer with a breakaway goal against Everton in March, aged 16 years and 73 days.

A two-goal display against Ipswich in the Carabao Cup in September added further evidence of his enormous potential, placing him alongside Wayne Rooney as one of only two 16-year-olds to score twice in a single game for a Premier League club. Despite those performances, Arteta has used Dowman sparingly, restricting him to just nine Premier League minutes — partly due to a minor injury sustained with England's U19s.

Arteta has promised the teenager his moment. "Max will have his chance," the Spaniard said last month. "He will have his minutes and he will have to earn them like anybody else." Saka's absence could accelerate that timeline, with Carabao Cup and Champions League fixtures against Fleetwood Town and Slavia Prague offering further opportunities alongside Saturday's Premier League visit of Everton — a side that has already felt Dowman's quality firsthand.