Max Dowman wanted by 12 clubs as Arsenal face transfer decision over teenage star
Arsenal talent Max Dowman(Image: Getty Images)
More than 12 clubs have contacted Arsenal about signing teenage sensation Max Dowman on loan.
Dowman, 16, will become eligible to complete a loan move when he turns 17 on December 31, with the January transfer window opening the following day.
The England Under-19s international is a history-maker at Arsenal having become the club's youngest-ever starter at the age of 15 years and 302 days, and he is now a firm fixture in Mikel Arteta's first-team squad.
He then smashed the record for the youngest-ever goalscorer in the Premier League after finding the net in a 2-0 win against Everton back in March at the age of 16 years and 73 days old.
But there is a feeling that Arteta might let Dowman out on loan as his first-team opportunities are expected to be limited in the short-term, with the Gunners boasting a big, strong squad.
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Indeed, according to TEAMtalk, more than a dozen clubs have registered an interest in signing Dowman this winter, with teams from the Premier League and down to League One keen.
Coventry City are among those who have enquired about Dowman, while Burnley, Wolves and Norwich City are interested in taking him for the second half of the 2026/27 season.
The prospect of Dowman becoming available has attracted interest from Jack Wilshere's Luton Town, with the ex-Arsenal midfielder confirmed he would like to sign him on loan.
Rangers and Celtic are both understood to be keen on bringing Dowman to Scotland, while there is some interest from abroad as Arsenal consider allowing him to leave to get him regular game time.
Dowman has 15 senior appearances for Arsenal(Image: 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Plc)
After Dowman scored twice for the Gunners in a 4-2 Carabao Cup win against Ipswich Town last Tuesday, Arteta was asked if the teenager could play more in the Premier League this season.
"Everything is possible," Arteta said in his post-match press conference. "The probability probably is extremely low, because you don't see the players with the capacity to handle just the physicality of the game.
"Not only that, but the demands that you have to put your bodies through in the week to be able to be in a good condition to compete, the amount of information, the challenges that you have to face. But he's doing it, and he's doing it really well every time he's got a chance."
Although Arteta appeared confident that Doman can have an important role in Arsenal's campaign as they look to defend their Premier League title, he urged caution and emphasised that the club should not rush his development.
"What we have to do is look after him - he's 16-years-old, you don't see that in this league. In other leagues in Europe, that's a totally different context," Arteta said.
"But in this league, with the demands that the league, the players and everything puts on you, we really need to make sure every time we throw him in, he's in the right context with the right preparation, and that's what we are trying to do.
"We're going to make sure that when we just throw him there, he's ready to handle that at every level, and it's not just that he can run past somebody. There's a lot more things that we need to look after him... the only thing that we have to manage is that he needs to constantly be aware that he needs to be prepared for what he needs to do."
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