Max Dowman receives surprise Arsenal warning

Cameron Smith

31 Oct 2025 07:30 CDT
2 min read

Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman has been warned that the presence of Bukayo Saka could stunt his development at the Emirates Stadium.

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Dowman, 15, has burst onto the scene so far this season and his performances in the Arsenal first-team have reaffirmed widespread belief that he is set for a stellar senior career.

Current ETV

Max Dowman

M (C)

Arsenal

Max Dowman

M (C)

Arsenal

ETV Range

€90K - €0.2M

The England U19 international became the youngest-ever player to start a game in Arsenal’s history during their 2-0 Carabao Cup victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, while he is also the second youngest player to ever feature in the Premier League following his cameo appearance versus Nottingham Forest in August.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been eager to expose Dowman to first-team football so far this term, however former Manchester City defender Micah Richards is still concerned about his progress as a footballer, despite his extremely young age.

Max Dowman warning

Speaking on the Rest Is Football Podcast, Richards admitted: “He plays in a position that Saka plays. Well, I’ve seen him play in other positions - he can play number 10 and he can play on the other side and all that sort of stuff.

“But the manager, the way he is, I would say, is on the side of being a little bit more defensive than Saka and then allowing the players to come on.

“But he’s not going to play ahead of Saka, and to keep developing, he needs to play. That would be my only worry.”

Despite Richards’ concerns, Dowman is still only 15 years old and his development as a player is unlikely to be substantially affected by a lack of first-team minutes at his current age.

Saka, for example, didn’t make his senior Arsenal debut until he was 17 and he only became a first-team regular the following year. Dowman, therefore, is well ahead of schedule.

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