Mikel Arteta drops Max Dowman bombshell for Arsenal fans | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that he could send Max Dowman on loan in the January transfer window.

Dowman is one of the best young talents in English football and has developed through the Arsenal youth system to establish himself in the first-team squad.

The England Under-19 international, who can operate as an attacking midfielder or as a winger, has scored three goals and given one assist in 14 matches in all competitions for Arsenal so far in his career.

Last season, Dowman became the youngest scorer in Premier League history and for Arsenal.

The 16-year-old, though, has yet to play in the English top-flight for the Premier League champions this season.

However, Dowman scored twice for Arsenal in their 4-2 win against Ipswich Town in the League Cup on Tuesday.

Arsenal fans are well aware that they have a gem in Dowman and would love to see him in action more often for the first team in the coming weeks.

However, Arsenal manager Arteta has revealed that the north London club could send Dowman out on loan when the transfer window opens in January, which will come as a disappointment for the Emirates Stadium faithful.

Mikel Arteta reveals Arsenal plan regarding Max Dowman

BBC Sport quotes Arteta as saying about Dowman: “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.

“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.

“We have to be open, but now the focus is to be here and to impact the team.”

Arteta added: “We haven’t really listened to any of the possibilities because we were crystal clear that we wanted to have Max in the squad, that we wanted him to be part of the pre-season and then start to see where we are from there.”

The Arsenal boss continued: “There have been many cases of that age when they have gone out and been successful and others not.

“In my particular case, I was 17 when I went to Paris [St-Germain].

“It depends on the atmosphere that you find there, and how much the coach believes in you as to whether you go there just to be part of a squad or play minutes.

“Which country, it depends.

“But now he is in a good place, let’s keep him here.”

When asked about Dowman’s prospects of playing for Arsenal against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday, Arteta said: “The best way to knock on the door is to do it on the pitch, not in the office.

“Then you just leave out the arguments.

“When a player delivers constantly on the pitch, every single day in training, that’s the best way, that’s the best signal for the manager.

“That’s the best signal for his teammates, too.

“And what Max did the other day, alongside all the other players as well that haven’t played many minutes this season, was really impressive.”