Mikel Arteta has likened Arsenal teenager Max Dowman to a young Lionel Messi after the 15-year-old committed his future to the club. Dowman, who became the youngest player to feature in the Champions League in November, has signed a pre-agreement for his first professional contract when he turns 17 in December. The England Under-19 forward joined Arsenal at age six, and despite interest from several clubs, there was never real doubt over his staying.
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 academy 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, whether it’s by the situation or the stadium or the opposition, and that’s a huge quality.”
Dowman has been sidelined since mid-December with an ankle injury and is unlikely to feature against Leeds on Saturday, the team against which he made his debut in August. Arteta has an otherwise full squad as Arsenal seek their first league win in four matches. The manager has also called for Premier League matchday squads to be extended from 20 to 23 players, in line with Uefa competitions, arguing that leaving out two or three players each week affects their mental health.
“It’s much better to manage the squad, to maintain the value of the players, to maintain the mental health of the players as nobody wants to get out of the squad. I beg them so between all of us to help us with that,” Arteta said. Pep Guardiola and Arne Slot have also recently called for similar extensions.
Arteta also defended his close relationship with Guardiola, with whom he worked at Manchester City, rejecting suggestions he should not be so friendly with a rival. He cited the example of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in tennis, saying: “For me the surprising thing would be not to [have that relationship]. I think it would be a really bad example for sport.”
