Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is blessed to have an array of exciting talents coming through the Hale End academy right now.
Ethan Nwaneri, Max Dowman and Myles Lewis-Skelly are making waves at N5 right now, with the latter rewarded for his Arsenal form by England boss Thomas Tuchel as he eyes a place in the Three Lions’ 2026 World Cup squad.
Ethan Nwaneri
15 years, 181 days
Arsenal
Max Dowman
15 years, 235 days
Arsenal
Jeremy Monga
15 years, 271 days
Leicester City
Harvey Elliott
16 years, 30 days
Fulham
Matthew Briggs
16 years, 68 days
Fulham
Despite being just 18-years-old, Lewis-Skelly burst on to the scene last season and fought his way into becoming one of Arteta’s first-choice left-backs with Riccardo Calafiori, thereby pushing established Premier League defender Oleksandr Zinchenko down the pecking order as a result.
Nwaneri, meanwhile, became the youngest Premier League player in history after making his debut in a 3-0 win over Brentford in 2022, with the sky appearing to be the limit for him.
Since then, the 18-year-old has racked up nine goals and two assists from 40 senior appearances under Arteta, and Arsenal initially hesitated over a deal for Eberechi Eze due to their desire for Nwaneri to be given more minutes this season (talkSPORT).
Nwaneri signed a new five-year contract at Arsenal in August, keeping him at the club until 2030, but the teenage talent now has another academy sensation to contend with for a place in the first-team.
That man is, of course, Dowman.
The 15-year-old became Arsenal’s second-youngest ever Premier League player behind Nwaneri after coming on in their 5-0 win over Leeds United last month, winning a penalty for summer signing Viktor Gyokeres to smash home.
Understandably, there is a lot of excitement around Dowman right now, and club legend Paul Merson insists he is just a “freak” for his age.
Still barely seen in the first team with just 27 minutes of competitive senior football to his name, former Arsenal keeper Graham Stack has now told Standard Sport that Dowman already reminds him of an England legend.
Arsenal teenager Max Dowman likened to Paul Gascoigne
Stack believes that Dowman has similarities with Paul Gascoigne, with the pundit hailing Arsenal’s “gifted” new teenager when speaking ahead of A Night To Remember.
“I think it is unbelievable, I really do,” Stack said.
“I have watched him a few times, only since he has been recently highlighted.
“From what I have seen, he is such a gifted, talented young player – who has been given an opportunity and taken it. It reminds me of Gazza. When I was growing up, Gazza was my hero and I loved the way he played football.
“He just played off the cuff sometimes, just played with freedom. Every time he had the ball, he looked like he was enjoying it and had a smile on his face.
“I look at Max and he has definitely got some similar qualities to Gazza in that respect, because he looks like he is just a natural footballer with the way he moves with the ball, his IQ, the things he sees, the pictures he sees.”
While this bold statement continues to pile on lofty praise for Arsenal’s latest starlet, it is important not to put too much pressure on Dowman at this very early stage of his career.
The attacking midfielder has displayed real signs of promise, but the GCSE schoolboy is still at a preliminary stage of his development and needs time to grow before being thrust into the limelight so intensely.
That being said, there is still reason to be excited about Dowman, and Arsenal’s work with young players behind-the-scenes is continuing to pay dividends.
