The three Arsenal wonderkids in training ahead of Napoli as Mikel Arteta set to make decision

Max Dowman was among the Arsenal youngsters in training ahead of the Champions League clash with Napoli(Image: Getty Images)

Marcell Washington, Marli Salmon and Max Dowman have been in Arsenal training ahead of their Champions League trip to Napoli. Mikel Arteta's side kickstart their adventure in Europe's elite club competition this season when they travel to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday.

Following three straight wins in the Premier League, the Gunners will be hoping to translate that form to the continent and they ramped up preparations for Napoli with an open training session on Tuesday morning.

Among those in action for Arsenal in training were three talented youngsters, with Arteta looking to blood Marcell Washington, Marli Salmon and Max Dowman into the first-team squad ahead of getting more first-team minutes.

Washington, a 19-year-old left-back, is yet to make his senior debut for the Gunners but was a regular for the Under-21s last season, recording 25 appearances in total, scoring twice and adding one assist.

Meanwhile, Salmon, 17, has played four times for Arsenal's first-team and is considered as one of the brightest young defenders in the Hale End system. He made his debut as a substitute in a 3-0 win at Club Brugge last December and made three appearances in the FA Cup last season.

Dowman is well-known to Arsenal fans around the globe, having enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough season in 2025/26. The 16-year-old sensation featured 13 times, scoring once, and earned a Premier League winners' medal for his contribution at the end of the campaign.

Max Dowman and Marli Salmon in action during an Arsenal training session(Image: Getty Images)

All three could now be involved for Arsenal against Napoli on Wednesday, though Arteta has a very strong squad to pick from with just Bruno Guimaraes, Christian Mosquera and Jurrien Timber doubtful. William Saliba is still out with a long-term concern, but apart from that, Arteta has everyone else available.

Washington, Salmon and Dowman are looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow academy graduates Myles Lewis-Skelly and Bukayo Saka, who are flourishing in the first-team picture at Emirates Stadium.

When asked last week how the young Arsenal players can cement a regular spot in the senior set-up, Arteta said: "It comes, I think, with the quality you have in the academy, and some days it's just a generation that can fit in at the right moment. It’s about timing as well, the needs that you have.

"And I think as a club we want to provide the opportunity to our academy players to shine and to be at the level that we believe they can be. And so far, obviously, they’ve been really, really good."

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