Arsenal Weigh Loan for Max Dowman as Teenage Sensation Shines

Arsenal are prepared to let teenage sensation Max Dowman leave on loan this season if it accelerates his development – but only on their terms and only on their timeline.

The 16-year-old, who smashed two records last season as the youngest scorer in both Premier League and Arsenal history, reminded everyone of his talent on Tuesday night. His first outing of the campaign brought two goals in a 4-2 Carabao Cup win at Ipswich, a sharp jolt of proof that he is not content to wait quietly in the background.

He is yet to feature in the league this term, but his manager is in no rush to push him out of the door.

Arteta’s balancing act

Mikel Arteta made it clear he wants Dowman close, training with the senior squad and feeling the rhythm of first-team football, even as the club keeps its options open.

"We will evaluate every six months where we are and what is the best thing for him to do and then make the right decision," Arteta said. "It depends on a lot of factors. What he needs, and what the team needs as well, the availability we have in the squad, the minutes that he is playing and the qualities of those minutes.

"We have to be open, but now the focus is to be here and to impact the team."

For now, the message is simple: stay, compete, make yourself impossible to ignore.

Dowman only finished his GCSEs in the summer. He cannot move on loan until he turns 17 on 31 December, with the winter transfer window opening the following day. By then, the conversation around him could be very different.

Interest already building

Interest, though, is already there. League One side Luton, managed by former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, are understood to be keen on taking the youngster on loan once he is eligible.

Arteta insists Arsenal have not entertained anything concrete yet.

"We haven't really listened to any of the possibilities because we were crystal clear that we wanted to have Max in the squad, that we wanted him to be part of the pre-season and then start to see where we are from there," he said.

Last season Dowman made 13 appearances as Arsenal finally ended their 22-year wait for a Premier League title. He has already been trusted in high-performance environments; the next step is deciding where he learns best.

Too soon to send him out?

Arteta, who knows all about leaving home young after moving to Paris Saint-Germain at 17, refused to give a straight yes or no on whether a loan in January would be too early.

"There have been many cases of that age when they have gone out and been successful and others not," he said.

"In my particular case, I was 17 when I went to Paris [St-Germain]. It depends on the atmosphere that you find there, and how much the coach believes in you as to whether you go there just to be part of a squad or play minutes.

"Which country, it depends. But now he is in a good place, let's keep him here."

That last line tells its own story. Arsenal see a teenager in a strong environment, surrounded by title winners and competing in a squad that has forgotten how to lose.

Perfect timing, or a crowded path?

From the Community Shield win over Manchester City onwards, Arsenal have been flawless domestically and in Europe, racking up seven wins from seven. It is the best kind of problem for a 16-year-old forward: he is trying to break into a side that barely gives anyone a reason to change it.

Dowman’s brace at Ipswich was the latest attempt to force that change.

Arteta did not hide his admiration for the way the youngster – and others on the fringes – seized their chance.

"The best way to knock on the door is to do it on the pitch, not in the office," he said when asked about Dowman’s chances of featuring in Saturday’s Premier League trip to Brighton.

"Then you just leave out the arguments. When a player delivers constantly on the pitch, every single day in training, that's the best way, that's the best signal for the manager. That's the best signal for his team-mates, too.

"And what Max did the other day, alongside all the other players as well that haven't played many minutes this season, was really impressive."

For now, Dowman waits, scores, and keeps asking the same question with his performances: will Arsenal’s next big decision on him be a loan move in January – or a permanent seat at the top table?