Max Dowman – Arsenal’s Emerging Jewel
Arsenal’s academy has enjoyed a burgeoning renaissance since the arrival of Mikel Arteta as head coach/manager in December 2019 and Per Mertesacker as Academy manager in July 2018. Establishing Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe as fully fledged first team players in 2020-21 to Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly becoming one of the main bright spots in Arsenal’s 2024-25 season.
Hale End has played its part in Arsenal re-establishing itself as one of the biggest clubs in Europe. However, there is another jewel blossoming at Hale End in 15 year old Max Dowman, a youngster with a growing reputation that has increased exponentially this season with multiple eye catching displays.
Born on New Year’s Eve in 2009, Dowman was signed as a youngster and his talents were quickly noticed by coaches at Hale End. Then U18 manager Jack Wilshere would give Dowman his debut in September 2023 at the age of just 13 in a 20-minute cameo vs Southampton.
Though still growing as a teenager, his next appearance for the U18s wasn’t until March 2024 as a 14 year old vs Fulham. He would first hit the headlines by making four assists for Chido Obi (prior to his move to Manchester United) in a 5-2 win. Wilshere was quick to praise Dowman’s efforts:
“There’s always a concern when fielding such a young player in these matches, but if you’re good enough you’re old enough. He can be more consistent but he’s only 14 and hasn’t even started his GCSEs yet. We need to find a balance of letting him play and enjoy because of his age but also trying to get as much work into him as we can.”
Ending the 2023-24 season with two goals and five assists in seven games for the U18’s, the 2024-25 season (under new manager Adam Birchall who replaced Wilshere in October after departing to become then first team coach at Norwich) would be where Dowman accelerated his development.
Switching between attacking midfielder and right wing this season for the U18s, Dowman notched up several impressive achievements. In September 2024, his goal vs Atalanta made him the youngest player to score in the UEFA Youth League. During the 2024-25 U18 Premier League season, Dowman in 15 games would score 15 goals and create 15 assists. He would score 14 of those goals in his last 7 games of the season.
What made it even more impressive was Birchall made him captain for seven of those games – skippering over players two years older than him. Throughout this season, there were several instances of Dowman’s immense talent.
Against Leicester City in early April, where he would score a hat trick in a 5-3 win, his first and second goal displayed his repeated ability to thunderously carry the ball forward from midfield, quickly riding past or holding off defenders and skilfully placing the ball past the keeper to score.
在 Instagram 查看这篇帖子
Against Aston Villa (where he would score twice), Dowman exhibited his technical prowess by confidently receiving the ball outside the box with a swivel, drove assuredly into the box while rolling the ball with his foot, dribbled past two players, took a touch to go past a defender and then showed composure to glide the ball past the keeper into the net.
View this post on Instagram
Despite playing opponents two or even three years younger than him this season, Dowman’s physical stature has allowed him to impose himself against older and more experienced players in youth football. Several times for the U18s, Dowman has won the ball back in the opposition’s own half, creating opportunities for the team. Here below against Fulham, he assists in a turnover inside Fulham’s half on the right, drove towards goal and smashed a low shot past the keeper to score the winner.
View this post on Instagram
At international level, Dowman shined at the U17 Euros this summer in Albania despite England exiting at the group stage. At times he was magnificent, flaunting his individual brilliance, gliding past defenders using pace, skill, strength and deft footwork on several occasions in the group games against Belgium, Italy and Czechia.
Against Belgium, he swatted aside the talented 16 year old Nathan De Cat while on one of his powerful runs. In the 4-2 defeat vs Italy, he would draw three fouls in the first three minutes, drawing six fouls overall in the first half that produced two yellow cards.
It was against Czechia where Dowman’s threatening forays reaped its rewards, scoring the opener by pacing the defender on the outside with great ball control to score from close range. In the same game, Dowman produced a mesmeric defence splitting assist from his own half.
But the crowning moment this season for Dowman was in the FA Youth Cup against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in front of thousands in late February. His skill, strength, ball carrying ability and penchant to draw fouls made him at times a cut above the rest.
The moment of the night was when he drove into the opposition half, slowing down while shadowed by a defender, only to expertly burst past him. Entering the box, he was able to draw a penalty and duly converted the spot kick. Tens of thousands of people on social media viewed this display online and no longer was Max Dowman a secret jewel Arsenal could hide.
在 Instagram 查看这篇帖子
Month by month throughout this season, his performances at youth level were noted not just by fans, but also by Mikel Arteta. The manager routinely during the 2024-25 season put Dowman to train with the first team where he did not look out of place. Back in January, Arteta did not hide Dowman’s performances in training:
“Some of the things he does in training are unbelievable. He is a player with a huge talent. We have a lot of belief we can develop him to become one of our own.”
In recent months, it has been reported that midfielder Declan Rice has become a mentor to the youngster, a fantastic role model. Rice was glowing in his praise for Dowman when speaking to the BBC in March, though quick to remind Dowman of pitfalls faced by previous wonder kids:
“At 15, there is such a long way to go. You can be the best 15-year-old in the country, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to be at 18. So, you need to be hungry, keep working and keep pushing. I speak to Max a lot and he has got such a good family around him. He is unreal.”
Such has been his accelerating development this season, there were reports Arsenal would have given Dowman his first team debut in the 2024-25 campaign were it not for Premier League regulations – a player has to be 15 by the start of the season and Dowman was 14 in August 2024.
Even so, it is more than likely he will be on Arsenal’s pre-season tour in the Far East this summer and potentially make his debut next season before he turns 16. During a pre-match press conference last month, Mikel Arteta alluded to Dowman’s potential:
“Now he is involved in the squad. He trains with us a lot. Does that mean he will play in the Premier League many games? I don’t know; depends how good he is and how impressive he is and how much he offers the team like Ethan (Nwaneri), like Myles (Lewis-Skelly), like any other player in the squad. Let’s see how this evolves but we certainly got a big, big talent there.
The Redemption of David Ospina: An Arsenal Outcast Becomes a Colombian Legend
I think he is in the right pathway and everybody in the academy has done an incredible job to consistently protect him, inspire him, challenge him, keep him always up and the levels that he could produce, and he is doing well. He is doing the right steps and taking it slowly. He will dictate how fast we go.”
The pathway for Max Dowman to play first team football is important for the player for his development, but also for Arsenal. The club has learned lessons from Chido Obi and Ayden Heaven – both youngsters who left last year to join Manchester United. Dowman has been coveted by other clubs but the Gunners have worked hard to show Dowman and his family that Arsenal is the right place to develop his career.
An avid Arsenal fan, the 2025-26 season could be the stuff of dreams for Max Dowman if he makes his first team debut at the Emirates. The future is bright for Max Dowman and Arsenal.
By: Yousef Teclab / @TeclabYousef
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / David Price / Arsenal FC