Mikel Arteta has compared Max Dowman to a young Lionel Messi after the 15-year-old committed his long-term future to Arsenal. The teenager signed a pre-agreement for his first professional contract, which will take effect when he turns 17 in December. Dowman, who joined the club at age six, became the youngest player to feature in the Champions League in November at 15 years and 308 days.
Arteta, who began his career at Barcelona and was at the club when Messi joined in 2000, was asked how Dowman compared to other Hale End graduates. “Certainly one of the best,” he said. “What he’s done with us at the age of 15, me personally, I haven’t seen it before. Only with a guy that used to play in Barcelona but maybe not even that. He has a certain charisma and personality that he doesn’t get overwhelmed.”
Dowman has been sidelined with an ankle injury since mid-December and is unlikely to feature in Saturday’s match at Leeds United, where he made his debut in August. Arteta has a near-full squad as Arsenal seek their first league win in four attempts. However, the manager reiterated his call for Premier League matchday squads to be expanded from 20 to 23 players, aligning with Uefa competitions, to protect players’ mental health.
“The worst thing is to leave somebody [out],” Arteta said. “It’s much better to manage the squad, to maintain the value of the players, to maintain their mental health.” He also defended his close relationship with Pep Guardiola, drawing parallels to the friendship between tennis rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. “How the hell am I not going to have a great relationship with someone that I admire?”
