“Most people thinks Saka is our most skillful player but he’s not…The academy player I’m going to start in our next match will definitely shock the world”: Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta names ONE academy player who’s more skillful than Bukayo Saka
Arsenal have made a real name for themselves in recent years as a football club that gives youth a chance and promotes from within.
Bukayo Saka has been Arsenal’s biggest success story from the academy in recent years, graduating from the Hale End setup to become a star for club and country.
And this season, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri have broken into the first team after coming up through the club’s academy.
Now, Mikel Arteta has suggested that another “big talent” in the academy will be in the first-team picture “very soon”.
Mikel Arteta says Max Dowman will be coming up to Arsenal first-team ‘very soon’
Arteta was asked ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League meeting with Bournemouth whether he had any plans to strengthen at No. 10 this summer.
The Gunners boss said he already had numerous options there, such as Mikel Merino and Ethan Nwaneri, before name-dropping Max Dowman as a future option.
“We have a lot of options there,” Arteta said. “I mean, Merino can play in that position, Declan, we have Ethan there, that is his main position.
“We have players that can play in that position, we have Max coming up as well, as you know, very soon as well. So I think we are good in that position.”
When asked whether Dowman was indeed in his sights for the first-team, Arteta said: “For the near future, yeah. Let’s see how this evolves but we certainly got a big, big talent there.”
Why Max Dowman hasn’t played in the Premier League yet
Arteta has shown he’s not afraid to give youth a chance, famously giving Nwaneri his Premier League debut at just 15 years and 181 days of age.
Dowman has been making some serious waves in the Arsenal academy setup, so it’s not surprising to see him tipped to be the next Hale End breakthrough star.
He has been breaking records for Arsenal, making his Under-18s debut aged 13 and featuring for both the Under-19s and Under-21s at 14 years of age.
In addition, Dowman is the youngest ever UEFA Youth League scorer and is also the youngest ever player to feature for any club in the Premier League 2 since it was formed in 2012.
However, Premier League league rules mean that Arteta isn’t allowed to hand Dowman his English top-flight debut just yet.
To be able to participate in the Premier League at any point during this season, a player must have turned 15 before August 31, 2024, which was not the case with Dowman.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice recently hailed Dowman, deeming him “unreal”, while Lewis-Skelly also tipped Dowman to be the next Arsenal youngster to break into the first team.
Rio Ferdinand has also sung Dowman’s praises, hailing the Hale End prodigy earlier this year after seeing him at Arsenal’s Dubai warm-weather training camp.
Now, judging by Arteta’s comments, it’s only a matter of time before Dowman enters the first-team picture.
