Arteta Vows to Fix Past Errors as Exciting Max Dowman Transfer Pursuit Heats Up

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has acknowledged that 16-year-old midfielder Max Dowman may be heading out on loan in the near future, though only if a suitable opportunity presents itself for the young talent.

Dowman recently became only the second 16-year-old in history to net twice in a single match for a Premier League club across all competitions—a feat previously achieved only by Wayne Rooney—and has drawn comparisons to Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal due to his remarkable progression at such a young age.

Although loan approaches for Dowman have been turned down so far, Arteta conceded that the stance could shift as soon as January.

"We will assess every six months where things stand, what the best course of action is for him, and make the right call from there," Arteta explained.

"It will come down to many factors: what he requires, where the team stands, the options we have within the squad, the number of minutes he's getting, and the quality he's showing when those opportunities arise.

"We need to stay open-minded, but right now the priority is to be here and make an impact on the team."

Finding the ideal destination for Dowman is crucial, especially given that a comparable situation went badly wrong for the Gunners not so long ago.

The Ethan Nwaneri Example

Dowman's rise has swiftly overshadowed 19-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, who carried a similar level of hype when he made his first-team bow at the close of the 2022–23 campaign as the youngest player ever to appear in the Premier League.

Returned to the academy the season after, Nwaneri was elevated to the senior squad for the 2024–25 campaign and benefited from injuries to key players, racking up 37 appearances across all competitions under Arteta.

That upward trajectory stalled the following year as Nwaneri slipped down the depth chart, featuring in just six Premier League matches during the opening half of the 2025–26 season. With his progress at risk, Nwaneri was sent on loan to Marseille in January at the behest of then-manager Roberto De Zerbi, who departed the club just weeks after Nwaneri's arrival.

His successor, Habib Beye, openly questioned Nwaneri's "everyday commitment," and the youngster wrapped up his loan spell with a mere 412 minutes of playing time—less than he had accumulated at Arsenal in the first half of the season.

That disappointing loan experience may well have been on Arteta's mind as he weighs up Dowman's next step.

"There have been plenty of cases at that age where players have gone out on loan and thrived, and others where it hasn't worked out," Arteta said. "Personally, I was 17 when I moved to Paris [Saint-Germain].

"It depends on the environment you walk into, how much the manager trusts you—sometimes you go there just to fill a squad spot rather than actually get minutes on the pitch.

"Which league? It all depends. But right now [Dowman] is in a great position. He's in a good place at the moment, so let's keep him here."