Gooners were rightly excited about Max Dowman’s first team competitive debut. For a 15-year-old to be playing in the Premier League, showing the personality to always be forward thinking and to ride tackles from grown men, will dominate headlines in the next few days.
If the reaction is slightly over the top based on a substitute appearance at home to a newly promoted club with the scoreline already 4-0, just imagine the response if the teenager were to make the difference in an away fixture with the scoreline level.
After 64 minutes at the Emirates on Saturday, Mikel Arteta had zero reason not to make Dowman the second youngest ever player to feature for Arsenal. Like when he first introduced Ethan Nwaneri to the league, our manager had the flexibility to make a sentimental change. If Leeds were winning or drawing after an hour, Max Dowman would have remained on the bench. With the points safe, it was smart management to think long term by seeing how someone so young reacted to the moment.
If it had turned out that a Year 11 student was not physically or mentally ready for such a huge stage, it would have been no disgrace and no harm done.
The challenge of handling hype
If he did not look out of place this weekend, the next question is how someone so young copes with media attention, a rise in social media numbers, new-found fame and suddenly everyone wanting to be your friend. The risk was worth the reward.
His teammates clearly trusted him with possession. He was not shy of trying a shot from the edge of the area, and it was his skill that won a penalty in stoppage time for Arsenal’s fifth goal.
Arteta will want to protect the youngster but knows from experience that it is almost impossible. He and his staff will have discussed the balance of taking advantage of such talent while also shielding him. That is why our manager took Ethan Nwaneri out of the spotlight last season, to look after him long term.
Yet in the world of social media how do you keep a kid safe from hype and overreaction? Some Gooners were already comparing Dowman to Kaka despite him never starting a senior competitive game. He remains a year away from his GCSEs, but will suddenly have new friends, sponsors calling, and the attention that comes with being on TV in the Premier League.
Arsenal will impose a ban on interviews and carefully manage media access, but there are only so many hours spent at the training ground. His manager cannot control his online posts, his phone calls or his social life. Talent is not in question. You do not play in the Premier League for Arsenal at 15 if your technique or understanding is flawed.
The unknown is whether he can mentally cope with what awaits him, because the more successful he becomes, the greater the spotlight.
Learning from others’ mistakes
Many youngsters, from Dele Alli to Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Mason Greenwood, Jack Grealish and Jadon Sancho, were once hailed as the future of English football. Too often, hype, poor choices or complacency meant they failed to fulfil their promise before reaching 30.
Arsenal are fortunate to have one of the best managers in terms of refusing to tolerate poor attitudes. Arteta will monitor everything, from how Dowman interacts with his peers when travelling, to how he behaves in the canteen, to how he treats non-playing staff. Any sign of arrogance will see him removed from the squad for his own good.
There is a lovely story from pre-season involving Declan Rice. Dowman laughed as Rice controlled the ball with his backside, and in amusement he tried to repeat the trick himself. It was a harmless, endearing moment that showed his immaturity. At the time he was in Year 10, on a tour of Asia while his schoolmates were on holiday playing FIFA at home. It was a reminder that he is still a child, and one whose innocence you hope he never loses.
All Arsenal can do is keep their fingers crossed that Dowman has the right support network around him. His family will also need to help keep him grounded, knowing that agents and sponsors will try to woo them. Like the club, their role is to keep Max humble and avoid the traps that have caught others before him.
For example, ignore anyone who says he should start at Anfield. Ainsley Maitland-Niles once read comparisons to N’Golo Kanté and believed them. Eddie Nketiah was hailed as a better solution than Kylian Mbappé. Ethan Nwaneri was labelled more skilful than Yamine Lamal. Supporters want to believe it, but words like these can be damaging.
I would not be writing this if I did not believe in his potential. I am pleading for him to have the best possible environment to grow. The danger is if he starts believing he has already succeeded before achieving anything of note. That can breed complacency and wasted years.
So I urge everyone to be realistic, to give Dowman time, space and room to breathe. If not, it is not Arsenal who will suffer, because scouts will always find another gem. It is Max Dowman, one of our own, who will be hurt. Let’s look after him.
Dan Smith
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Good write-up. Learning from other people’s mistakes is the best way of living a successful life. I hope he takes a cue from the mistake of Chude Obi Martins
I must say I have been impressed with Mikel Arteta given the talented Hale End players opportunity at first team. Dowman is just 15 and there is nothing that can jeopardize the future of young players like pressure an injury. Playing at AFC comes with pressure and the tendency of injuries because Epl is a very physical league. Dowman must be protected.
He has been fouled a few times he has played for the senior teams and has been lucky. Defenders will begin to put eyes on him now.
He still has a lot to learn and also finish school be is young. So better to be gradual with him.
No matter how much our club try to protect and defend our young players, the real problem arises when they actually play in the PL.
We have seen the likes of Saka fouled from pillar to post season after season, while referees do not do their job in protecting players.
Dowman is just one of the many brilliant players being coached by our club and he needs to be nurtured as Nwaneri, Skelly and Saliba were.
Another great article Dan, following on from your Eze one.
ken1945
Yes, I agree with you about the problems on the pitch for players like young Dowman.
It’s because he’s skilful at such a young age that opposition players will just resort to flattening him – as happened against Leeds. At only 15 he doesn’t have the physical characteristics to mitigate that.
While it was picked up by the referee in the Leeds game, I think Dowman is likely to be in for quite a bruising time over the coming season.
But, he got a freekick with the first, a booking for the Leeds player. And a penalty with the second. Win win.
Not if it leads to an injury for him next time around. That would be more lose, lose I think.
Agree Ken, the referees have to protect “skill” players like Dowman, irrespective of their age, much more than they have Saka, since he made the first team.
One only has to look at the attention Dowman received when playing in the European youth internationals for England, when he was relentlessly targetted. The game against Italy was a prime example, where players took orchestrated turns to foul Dowman.
Game time should be sporadic. 15 is so young and we don’t want him to burn out and have a shortened career because he came up to an intense level too soon.
Like Rooney and Pele? 🤣🤣 he will be all right.
He won’t be a Rooney or Pele
Opinion!!!!
And they were ok with being school boy proteges 🤣
Yeah opinion
There is nothing to say he can be as good as Rooney
This is the point of the article
That puts incredible pressure on him
Just let him develop
If he’s scoring goals and winning titles then we can compare him to Rooney
I just think comparisons with Pele when a player is yet to start a competitive game for the senior team is arrogant
But I’ll remind you of it lol
So we had
Maitland Niles better then Kante
Nwaneri more skilful then Lemal
Nketiah a better option then Mbappe
And now Dowman compared to Rooney and Pele lol
Each time I’m told it’s an opinion
Each time I couldn’t be more correct
Bet you a 1000 pound for charity he doesn’t come close to their achievements at Arsenal
Ok but it is obvious there is a big difference with this kid to who you mentioned. And I will remind you🤣
Football is nothing like when Pele played that’s pretty irrelevant. He’s still obviously growing at 15, he doesn’t need to be playing in the league every week and he won’t be. Basically no 15-17 year old plays week-in-week out in top leagues and it’s not because they lack talent. There are physios that are also part of making these decisions for players this young
Injury is another factor, There was once a Jack Wilshere
True, but Jack didn’t get injured at such a young age; he was in fact 19 before his first Arsenal injury.
@Timothy Adegbola
Jacks injury problem was partially of his own making and partially that of his coaches. Jack had zero pace, could barely dribble and the worst of all, no one ever taught him how to use his low center of gravity to his advantage. He’d get the ball and run right into defenders. SMH…
I am quite sure, he will be protected. No worries there.
Are you saying that from the club’s perspective, or do you agree that referees need to protect him… within the rules of the game of course Reggie?
Sadly, one of the important aspects of our games is how many card worthy hard fouls on Bukayo does it take for the oppositions’ RB to get a yellow card from the ref. At least from my perspective it’s so much part of the ref’s job to protect the players as much as it is a matter or impartially issuing the appropriate cards whether it is in the 5th minute or the 80th.
Just checked and in 23/24 season Saka wasn’t in the top 20 most fouled players. And 24/25 wasn’t in top 40 most fouled, although he did miss a chunk. Bruno Gamares both seasons was by far the most fouked player.
Not surprising, unfortunately. Bruno has been taking his acting lessons more seriously.
But if the referee isn’t doing his job Reggie, the stats you produce mean zilch.
As I said, Mr Oliver didn’t do his job when Kovacic was allowed to get away with the most obvious second yellow card ever and he didn’t protect our player.
Ken, I don’t understand refs protecting players? Its their job to referee to the laws of the game. The club is the one who will guide, in this case Dowman. I trust, he will be given the time and adjustments he needs. Every player is different.
Exactly my point regarding referees Reggie.
They don’t referee games by the book and their interpretation of the rules take over…. as we saw when Mr Oliver decided he didn’t want to ruin the spectacle of the game one minute, then did the complete opposite the next.
Imagine Kovacic tackling Dowman from behind as he did with Odegaard and the tackle being brushed aside!!
That’s what I mean about referees protecting players – if they all refereed by the book, then it wouldn’t be a problem would it?!
Thats another subject ken and about opinion. They are there to apply the rules of the game. The club is tgere to look after the player. BB mentioned Saka and yes he gets fouled a lot but not every foul is a yellow card and mainly he gets injured with issues, not impact related.
And on the plus side he wins us free kicks. Which we can benifit from. Dowman got fouled and we gained from both.
Did Mr Oliver apply the rules of the game in my example Reggie?
Dowman is still growing his frame and the tackle I’m referring to could have caused permanent damage.
Let’s just hope that we don’t have to refer back to this discussion and prove that my reservations were correct!!
correction: “not so much part”
For me Dowman is a major talent, that’s plain to see. But with the rigors of the premier league, it mustn’t be overlooked that this kid is just 15 and still developing.
Give him some game time by all means, but we must always keep in mind that this is a kid were all raving about. 👍
You know he is special by the way his fellow senior professionals are with him and talk about him. Plus they are looking to give him the ball at every opportunity. That all speaks volumes. We have a special, once in a decade talent on our hands. I am sure he will be monitored and looked after.
Reggie, these same playes also have a responsibility to protect Dowman, by not giving him “hospital” passes. Notwithstanding they are “looking to give him the ball at every opportunity” they have to consider risk to Dowman due to his age and physical development (although he has height, his muscular development is still that of a 15 yo).
Give him game time but give it at home , playing in virulent away grounds where he is most likely to have the crowd on his back is dangerous. He needs to be careful of being labelled a diver because of the free kicks and now penalties he is drawing.
Like a new signing