Opinion: Arsenal must protect Max Dowman after Premier League debut

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·25 agosto 2025

Opinion: Arsenal must protect Max Dowman after Premier League debut

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.

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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.

Max Dowman (Getty images)

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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