‘Special' Max Dowman, 15, adds to Mikel Arteta's Arsenal dilemma as he shines in same position as Saka and Nwaneri

The Sun

3 days ago

THE future is bright at Arsenal – but Max Dowman has shown glimpses of why he could make his mark in the here and now.
Mikel Arteta has had his eye on 15-year-old Dowman for the past 12 months and regularly introduced him to first-team training sessions.
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Had it not been for regulation barriers in both the Prem and Uefa, the Hale End schoolboy would have made his competitive senior debut by now under Arteta.
That's how highly rated he is by everyone at London Colney, leaving most first-team players stunned by his progression, ability and unflappable nature.
Even Arteta has been shocked by how quickly Dowman has become one of, if not the, most talented teenagers in the country, and it will now be a surprise if he is not named in most of Arsenal's matchday squads next season across all four competitions they are involved in.
After travelling with the squad on their mid-season warm-weather Dubai camp back in February, the plan was always for Dowman and a select few others from the academy to fly to Singapore and Hong Kong.
No one on the outside looking in could have guessed how much game time he would get in their opening two games in Singapore against AC Milan and Newcastle last week.
A total of 55 minutes off the bench is not bad going, especially for someone who still needs to be managed, both physically with his slight and yet-to-develop muscular frame against elite man mountains, and mentally as he comes to terms with the pressure being on him as the golden boy of Arsenal's latest academy grads.
Arteta has a history in guiding young talents and transforming them into first-team players faster than most would predict, just look at Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The pair were footballing nobodies at the start of last season – mere hopefuls – who looked their age, perhaps younger.
Now, they have bulked up, matured on and off the pitch and look like Prem regulars, and in Lewis-Skelly's case, potentially England's first-choice left-back at next summer's World Cup.
Arteta has known when to push them and when to give them some time away from the spotlight, a crucial period of development for any teenager adjusting to Prem football.
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Nwaneri had just that after making his Prem debut aged 15 at Brentford in September 2022, waiting 17 months for his next one at West Ham in February 2024.
Once Dowman makes his first Prem appearances, the clamour for him to push on at lightning speed will be huge.
We have already seen what that could look and sound like on this tour. In Singapore, his name has been chanted at every game and he was hounded for autographs at the open training at the Singapore National Stadium.
Arteta will have to be the party pooper more often than not in the early months of the season, but should he perform like he has done against Milan and Newcastle, the handbrake may have to come off sooner than expected.
His touch, turn and dribble past several Newcastle players and into the box to earn a match-winning penalty in the final ten minutes last weekend shows what he can do against experienced players nearly twice his age.
Arteta has used Dowman off the right so far, a position the youngster has played a lot in for the youth teams for club and country, cutting in and shooting – often scoring – with his left foot.
There will be a method to Arteta's thinking – being on the wing gives Dowman some breathing space during games as he continues his adaptation.
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He may eventually move into a more central position over the next few years, but Arteta likes his young players trying out different roles to aid their learning and to give him more options when picking squads.
Nwaneri played in a midfield three last season, but also on the right in Bukayo Saka's three-month injury absence, and Arteta has spoken previously of the 18-year-old potentially becoming a No9 later down the line.
Dowman could now start his first senior Arsenal game against Tottenham on Thursday in Hong Kong, and the crazy thing is that it does not sound that... crazy.
That's how quickly Dowman is progressing. Arteta called him 'special' after the Toon outing, and the Spanish coach does not chuck praise like that lightly.
Last term, Arteta would bring up Dowman's name unprompted in answers to questions about squad depth.
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We must be careful not to hype up too soon someone who has not yet turned 16, but it is hard not to when he is getting better with every minute he plays around world class players while showing he has the guts to step up in penalty shoot-outs, albeit a friendly one against Milan last week.
Club captain Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice have acted as brotherly figures for him, but even they are struggling not to board the Dowman hype train.
Last March, Rice claimed he was the 'best 15-year-old in the country'.
With a loan move unlikely next season, Dowman is set to be a regular face on the bench as Arteta plots the talented kid's path from a nobody to a special somebody.