A humid evening in Singapore, and the Arsenal players are going through their final warm-ups before a pre-season clash with Newcastle.
One of the first to take to the pitch is a lean, focused teenager, barely old enough to start his GCSEs who is already attracting curious glances from veterans and coaches alike. Max Dowman, just 15, is a name Arsenal fans had only heard whispers of, shared clips of, but one they will soon come to know well.
Dowman had his first taste of training with the senior squad last season at just 14. Mikel Arteta saw enough to include him in Arsenal’s winter Dubai trip and again this summer for this Asia tour which finished this week. The aim was not to rush him but to gradually expose the gifted midfielder to elite men’s football, new surroundings, packed stadiums, seasoned pros.
And Dowman did not just cope – he thrived. Against Milan, his first touches were a direct run at goal. Later, he coolly converted a penalty in the shootout. In the following match against Newcastle, he faced a real Premier League-style test against Brazil international Joelinton and the physicality of Eddie Howe’s midfield. Dowman not only held his own, he won the decisive penalty after drawing a foul from Joelinton.
Typically a No 10 in the youth sides, where he ‘runs the show’, according to one academy coach, Dowman was deployed wide on the right during the tour. It was a test of his tactical adaptability, which he passed with flying colours.
During training, he gravitated toward his age-mates, including fellow 15-year-old Marli Salmon. But equally telling was how the older players gravitated toward him. Declan Rice was seen with an arm around Dowman, talking positioning. Martin Odegaard, Arsenal’s captain and himself a teenage prodigy for Real Madrid at 16, has taken a clear interest.
Max Dowman, 15, held his own against Premier League veterans during Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Asia
Arsenal’s senior stars such as Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard have taken young Dowman under their wings
Dowman won the match-winning penalty against Newcastle when bundled over in the box by Joelinton
Odegaard, now 26, said: ‘I think the whole squad is really good in this way, helping the young players. I just try to share my experience and help them stay grounded. The quality is there. They just need the right mindset, the right support, and time to grow.’
Arteta has been especially hands-on with Dowman, offering guidance during warm-ups and even sitting him down for a longer chat in the dugout between training sessions, as fans chanted his name.
The Spanish manager, a father of two, is deeply aware of the need for balance: development without burnout, exposure without exploitation. Dowman will be in the middle of his GCSE studies just as the Premier League season starts, no small feat to manage both.
Physically, Dowman is already well-equipped. At 6ft tall, he didn’t look out of place when training alongside new signing Viktor Gyokeres. Watching from the sidelines, it was hard to tell who the established star was and who was the raw kid. Perhaps Dowman is already both.
His third and final tour appearance came against Tottenham, where he once again impressed, twisting past defenders and playing without fear. But Arteta remains cautious. At 15, the body is still developing. Arsenal’s focus is Dowman’s long-term health and steady progression – not a headline-grabbing debut.
That approach reflects Arsenal’s wider philosophy. Dowman was introduced to the ‘Strong Young Gunner’ framework when he joined the academy: ‘champion mentality, lifelong learner, efficient mover, and team player’.
These aren’t just slogans. They form the core of his education. And Arsenal’s energetic, high-pressing, attacking football suits Dowman’s instincts perfectly.
He’s been ahead of the curve for years. At 13, he was already playing for the U18s. Last September, he made history. With most staff away at a Champions League match in Italy, Dowman became the youngest ever goalscorer in the UEFA Youth League, netting against Atalanta for the Under 19s aged just 14 years, eight months and 19 days.
He will hope to follow in the footsteps of Myles Lewis-Skelly (left), who broke out into the first team from the academy last season
Dowman has been training with Arsenal’s first team since he was just 14
His parents were there, having flown out on the same commercial flight as a few reporters. His father, Robert, a successful businessman and one-time coach and co-owner of Billericay Town Football Club, is described as supportive but not overbearing. The family trusts Arsenal’s staff to manage their son’s development, both technically and emotionally, and the club has reciprocated with care and professionalism.
Dowman can’t sign a professional contract until he turns 17 on New Year’s Eve in 2026, though pre-agreements are common. Arsenal have navigated this path before with talents like Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, the youngest Premier League player in history. But even in that impressive company, Dowman’s trajectory feels unusually steep.
This season, he’s expected to feature regularly for the Under 21s, despite still being in school. First-team exposure will likely remain measured: occasional training, limited minutes, maximum protection.
After the Newcastle match, Arteta said: ‘It is special. What he’s done today, against this level of opposition, in the time he had. It’s something you don’t see from a 15-year-old. We’re very happy to have him. His family and the academy staff have all played a part in helping him reach this point.’
Arsenal aren’t treating Dowman differently, but they are treating him responsibly. There are no interviews, no commercial partnerships, no orchestrated PR campaigns. Just football, school and support.
Arsenal academy coach Gustavo Oliveira last year compared Dowman to a Brazilian midfield legend: ‘He plays in the style of Kaka. One day he will play for the England national team and in the Premier League.’
Dowman attended to a Football Escapes camp in Portugal aged nine — a family holiday programme combined with football coaching by former Premier League stars such as Mark Noble and Michael Dawson.
He then gave a rare interview with the company in August 2024, where he talked about his short stints training with the Arsenal first team.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has taken a keen interest in Dowman and is mentoring the youngster – having been a teenage prodigy himself at Real Madrid
Dowman cannot sign a professional deal until he turns 17 in December next year – but Arsenal could seal a pre-agreement before then to secure his future
‘The first time we were just defending and I felt like a moving mannequin,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t really involving myself that well because I was just defending. But the second time it was attack v defence. I got myself more involved and I did better than the first time. It was really enjoyable. It was really surreal for me to be honest.’
On which players he felt starstruck around, he namechecked Rice and William Saliba.
He’s not starstruck now and the spotlight is inevitable, but Arsenal have placed their faith not just in Dowman’s talent, but in his temperament and theirs. Whether he stays at Arsenal for the long term – though the thought of him leaving seems inconceivable – Dowman is being given every tool and every safeguard to thrive.
The genie may be out of the bottle. But the boy, and the ball, appear to be in the safest hands possible.
