The 2024/25 season belonged to Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, and now, it could be Max Dowman’s turn.
Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri had searing breakthrough campaigns in Arsenal’s first team, graduating from Hale End ahead of their time.
The pair made the headlines as 17 and 18-year-olds, with Dowman now in line to be the next big thing coming from Arsenal’s academy.
At just 15, Dowman is already being likened to Lionel Messi, but Mikel Arteta is eager not to throw the youngster in at the deep end.
Martin Odegaard speaks about Max Dowman’s rise
If there’s one place Dowman has proved he can be, it’s in the deep end.
In pre-season, Dowman thrived against Newcastle United, showing he’s more than capable of performing at senior level.
Arteta can’t believe the teenager’s readiness to play for the first team, insisting that in his day, you’d never see a star as young as 15 ready to take to the Premier League.
The hype around Dowman is unlike anything Arsenal have seen for some years, but what do those in the first team think of the rising star?
Speaking on the Men In Blazers podcast, club captain Martin Odegaard revealed that the squad as a collective are doing what they can to support the teen’s growth by diverting him away from pressure.
“He’s a top player, top talent, and I think everyone has seen it now, you know, in pre-season, what he’s done,” Odegaard said.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him and create too much of expectations around him, but I think we just need to give him time to be himself, to grow and learn, and everyone can see the quality, the quality is obvious.
“So I think the key thing for us is just to help him, support him and make sure he can take it in his own way and his own time, you know, so I’m sure he’s going to be a great player for us.”
Arsenal want people to stop talking about Dowman to allow the youngster to make his way to the top away from the spotlight, something his senior teammates are contributing to.
Arsenal won’t be able to contain Dowman for long
There’s one problem regarding how Arsenal manage the 2009-born player, and that’s quite simply his quality.
Over pre-season, Dowman was actually one of Arsenal’s most efficient attackers, which says everything that needs to be known about Arteta’s dilemma.
On one hand, the boss will want to make the teenager’s move into senior football smooth, but on the other hand, he’ll want the best options available to his team.
It’s a remarkable situation, and one that will certainly have Arteta thinking over the course of the season.
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