- Writer Q&A, fan views, plus the latest news and previews
- Today’s fixtures | Latest tables | And email matchday live
The young are getting younger. A 14-year-old is the talk of cricket’s IPL; my friend’s nine-year-old has the vocabulary of a learned quadragenarian; and three years on from Ethan Nwaneri’s record-breaking Premier League debut, Arsenal have another 15-year-old who looks ready for first-team action.
Premier League regulations prevent players who were not 15 at the start of a season from playing, meaning Dowman will not be able to surpass Ethan Nwaneri’s record as the competition’s youngest player, set in September 2022 when Nwaneri was 15 years and 181 days old. But Arteta was asked whether the attacking midfielder, who has drawn comparisons to Martin Ødegaard, could be an option for next season after the success of the academy graduates Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
“For the near future, yes,” he said. “Now he is involved in the squad. He trains with us a lot. Does that mean he will play in the Premier League many games? I don’t know; depends how good he is and how impressive he is and how much he offers the team like Ethan, like Myles, like any other player in the squad. Let’s see how this evolves but we certainly got a big, big talent there.
