Mikel Arteta reveals Arsenal's Max Dowman transfer stance: 'We have to be open'

19 Sept 2026 11:20 BST | 4 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that the club will "have to be open" to possible loan opportunities for Max Dowman.

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The 16-year-old illustrated his incredible talent in the Carabao Cup midweek, scoring a brace against Premier League rivals Ipswich in a comfortable 4-2 victory. However, this performance also raised questions.

It was Dowman's first senior match of the season. He has not yet featured in the Premier League or Champions League this term, nor did he play in the Community Shield win over Man City.

Current ETV

Max Dowman

F (R), M (C)

Arsenal

Max Dowman

F (R), M (C)

Arsenal

ETV Range

€5.6M - €9.4M

Mikel Arteta has been very careful in how he has managed the teenager, only using him sparingly in the first team so far. All told, Dowman has played fewer than 600 minutes of senior football in his nascent career.

While this is perfectly normal for a player of his age, there is perhaps a sense that it could breed frustration because he isn't just a regular young talent. Dowman is a potentially generational wonderkid and may feel that he should play more.

Dowman to be loaned out?

As Man Utd have found out with JJ Gabriel, keeping a hugely talented youngster happy isn't straightforward. And unlike the Red Devils' wantaway prodigy, Dowman has already shown that he can more than hold his own in adult football.

Naturally, then, the idea of a possible loan move has been floated. In fact, even last season, there were already rumours that Dowman could depart the Gunners, with League One side Luton Town regarded as an ideal landing spot for the 16-year-old.

Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is in charge of the Hatters, and he previously coached Dowman in the Gunners' youth setup. The 34-year-old has made no secret of the fact that he would welcome the golden boy with open arms.

Now, Arteta has given his thoughts on a potential loan exit of Dowman. Speaking ahead of Arsenal's clash with Brighton, he said: "We haven't really listened to any of the possibilities because we were clear that we want to have him in the squad, that we wanted him to be part of the pre-season.

"I'm going to start to see where we are from there. We will evaluate every six months where we are, what is the best thing for him to do and from there make the right decisions.

"It will depend on a lot of factors: what he needs, where the team is as well, the availability that we have in the squad, the amount of minutes that he's playing, the quality he's delivering when he's got those minutes."

Arteta insists that he isn't closing the door to a loan move, but for now, he wants to keep Dowman around. "We have to be open, but now the focus is to be here and impact the team," the manager added.

"There have been many cases of that age that they've gone and they've been successful, some others not. Particularly, I think I was 17 when I went to Paris [from Barcelona in 2001].

"Depending on the atmosphere that you find there, how much the coach believes in you, you go there just to be part of a squad, not to play minutes. Which country, depends. But now he's in a great place. He's in a good place right now, and let's keep him here."