Celtic & Rangers eye shock Arsenal transfer - Birmingham City and Southampton must join race ASAP | OneFootball

Max Dowman could be available for loan in January and both Birmingham City and Southampton should be eager to get to the front of the queue

It may be three months until the winter transfer window opens, but it seems like the transfer story throughout January could surround Max Dowman and whether his imminent future lies away from Arsenal.

The 16-year-old is one of the brightest prospects in the game currently, and last season became the youngest-ever goalscorer in both the Premier League and Arsenal's history.

Evidently, there's a lot of talent there, as seen by the brace he scored in the EFL Cup against fellow Premier League opposition, Ipswich Town, this season, but the sheer quality of those ahead of him in the senior pecking order is stopping him from getting regular minutes in both league and continental action.

There's an argument to be made that if Dowman wasn't playing for one of the best teams in the world currently and instead came through the academy at a mid-table Premier League side, he'd be given much more opportunity on the pitch in top-flight games.

Arsenal may consider loaning out Max Dowman in January

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Therefore, with Dowman turning 17 on New Year's Eve and becoming eligible to be loaned out in January, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has stated that the Gunners could be open to him leaving the club on a short-term basis to further his development.

"We will evaluate every six months where we are and what is the best thing for him to do and then make the right decision," Arteta said.

"It depends on a lot of factors. What he needs, and what the team needs as well, the availability we have in the squad, the minutes that he is playing and the qualities of those minutes.

Understandably, clubs all across Britain are forming a disorderly queue to try and get themselves in Arsenal's eyeline, from Premier League side Coventry City to Championship outfits Burnley, Norwich City and Wolves and Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers.

You can't blame them, either, as, while only 16, Dowman has proven he can be capable of providing big moments for the Premier League champions, so having him in the Championship could be the difference between promotion and remaining in the division.

With that being said, here are two other sides who could benefit from having the Arsenal prodigy in their squad.

Southampton

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Since Tonda Eckert took over at Southampton, there's been an onus on having two quality players in each position to chop and change throughout a long season.

On the right side, the Saints have both Tom Fellows and Kuryu Matsuki, but neither has been able to nail down consistent minutes so far this year. Matsuki has started five times and has a goal and an assist, while Fellows has started three times, with just one assist.

Evidently, with the likes of Cyle Larin, Finn Azaz and Leo Scienza alongside them in the front four, Southampton's attacks don't go down the right-hand side as often as they do elsewhere, but with Dowman in the side, perhaps that could change.

You can never have too much firepower, and Arsenal may see the quality already at St Mary's for the level and see this as a good opportunity to get their exciting young star regular minutes in a side that will create good chances and challenge for promotion.

A front four of Larin with Scienza, Azaz and Dowman behind him will terrify opposition defences. Even if Tonda Eckert is handed a ban from managing the Saints as a result of the charges put against him for his role in the Spygate fiasco, whoever comes in as interim manager should be able to organise the side so they can maximise the potential of that forward line.

Birmingham City

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Birmingham City, unlike Southampton, have a structured pecking order when it comes to their wide options. Carlos Vicente, their £6.9 million January signing from Alaves, is the first choice, with the vastly underrated Patrick Roberts behind him.

Roberts was linked with a move away to fellow Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers this past summer, though, so with only two league starts this year, perhaps he could be linked with a move away again in favour of more game time?

Either way, regardless of who they have in the building on the right-hand side, Dowman would be an upgrade, and for a Blues side who are projected to be battling hard for a place in the top eight come the new year, having the Arsenal starlet involved could push them over the line.

Birmingham are a top-six side when it comes to creating big chances in the Championship so far this season and are a top-10 side in terms of expected goals and shots on target per game, so enough is being created, but again, the 16-year-old could provide that spark to push them up a position or two.

Arsenal could look at the fact that the Blues, this season under Chris Davies, aren't keeping the ball as well as they have done in previous years as a bit of a red flag, but the possibility of coming in and being the missing piece for a side with Premier League ambitions could be enough to sway them to choose St Andrew's as a loan destination.