‘We have to be open’ – Arsenal boss Arteta makes Max Dowman transfer decision
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta insists the Gunners will not close the door on loaning out Max Dowman as they “evaluate every six months”.
Dowman made a big impression in pre-season ahead of the 2025/26 season with Arteta placing faith in the youngster to make 12 appearances across that campaign.
It was expected that the 16-year-old could get more game time this season, especially as Arsenal failed to bring in a marquee attacking signing over the summer.
Although Dowman is yet to play in the Premier League this term, the Arsenal youngster struck two goals as the Gunners beat Ipswich Town 4-2 in the League Cup last week.
That has led to calls to give him more playing time, with Arsenal boss Arteta not ruling out a future loan but it “will depend on a lot of factors”.
Arteta said: “We haven’t really listened to any of the possibilities because we were clear that we want to have him in the squad, that we wanted him to be part of the pre-season.
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“I’m going to start to see where we are from there. We will evaluate every six months where we are, what is the best thing for him to do and from there make the right decisions.
“It will depend on a lot of factors: what he needs, where the team is as well, the availability that we have in the squad, the amount of minutes that he’s playing, the quality he’s delivering when he’s got those minutes.”
Arteta added: “We have to be open, but now the focus is to be here and impact the team,” the manager added.
“There have been many cases of that age that they’ve gone and they’ve been successful, some others not. Particularly, I think I was 17 when I went to Paris [from Barcelona in 2001].
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“Depending on the atmosphere that you find there, how much the coach believes in you, you go there just to be part of a squad, not to play minutes. Which country, depends. But now he’s in a great place. He’s in a good place right now, and let’s keep him here.”
Highlighting Dowman’s qualities, former Arsenal captain David O’Leary told talkSPORT: “For years, everybody has been talking about Max behind the scenes.
“Arsenal are very lucky to have him, and Max is lucky to have an outstanding manager in Mikel to push him on.
“It is about nurturing him. We know he is going to be an absolute top player, and it is about giving him the right time, the right games and not going crazy about him. The club will know how to use him well.
“He is not arrogant, he is very confident, he is not shy when he gets the ball, and he enjoys the big arena, and he has an edge to his game.
“Max is up and against, and involved in, one of the best squads in the country. And it only looks one way that Max will go, so if we don’t see Max as a superstar, it will be because of Max himself.
“He is at a team which are clearly the ones to beat, and they could go on to dominate for quite a while.”
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