Arsenal’s Arteta: Don’t fear rivals poaching prodigy Max Dowman
Mikel Arteta has insisted he has no concerns rival clubs could poach Arsenal teenage wonderkid Max Dowman before he is old enough to sign a professional contract.
The 15-year-old reached a scholarship deal last week that will take effect when he turns 16 on December 31.
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FIFA rules state that players cannot sign a professional contract before the age of 17, meaning the Gunners must wait anxiously to sign a talent who has attracted interest from across Europe.
However, sources have told ESPN that Dowman, a long-time Arsenal fan, is considering his future at the club and Arteta played down the prospect of the playmaker moving elsewhere when speaking on Tuesday.
“I don’t think about those things because everything I hear from the player and his family has been very positive,” he said.
“That’s what we all want (for him to stay long term) and I think that’s what he wants too. After that, it’s more for (sporting director) Andrea (Berta) and the club.
“But the feeling I have is that he really loves being here. He is a big Arsenal supporter and his family is also very happy with the way things are going around him. I hope he will be with us for many years.”
Dowman is expected to be in the matchday squad for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth round clash against Brighton. He was sent off for Arsenal’s Under-21s’ 2-1 defeat at Chelsea last weekend.
It would be the player’s fourth senior appearance for the England youth team as Arteta strikes the balance between protecting a young talent and giving deserved opportunities to a player who impressed in a series of cameos during the club’s pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong before winning a penalty on his Premier League debut against Leeds in August.
“If we looked at his passport every day we would never play him, simple as that,” Arteta said. “But when you look at what he does in training, you have to play him. Otherwise you are blind, or I am blind.
“So it’s about finding a balance, an understanding, especially of the load, of the things that are changing in his life, and making sure he can deal with it. So far, he has.
“I am calm because what we decided for him for the first months is happening.
“When we have to give him matches, whether in the youth cup, with the U23s or with us, he has that. He also has a lot of visibility in training with us.
“We really have to manage his load. He’s 15, he’s still growing, we have to control a lot of things to make sure he develops the way he can.”