Arsenal secure Max Dowman agreement despite serious interest in 16-year-old wonderkid

Arsenal have secured a pre-agreement with youngster Max Dowman to sign professional terms when he turns 17 at the end of the year

Max Dowman has signed a pre-agreement with Arsenal and will sign his first professional contract with the club when he turns 17 on New Year's Eve this year. football.london understands this has been a priority for the club, with rival clubs keeping tabs on the youngster’s progress.

Having made his Premier League debut at 15 years of age, winning a penalty against Leeds United at the start of the season, following a brilliant pre-season, rivals have been aware of the youngster’s talents.

Having now secured his short-term future with a professional contract on the horizon, the next aim will be to sign a long-term deal in the coming years. Dowman has been out since December with an ankle injury suffered in a behind-closed-doors friendly, but hoped to be closing on a return.

Following the signing of his pre-agreement, Max told the official club website: “This means everything to me and my family. We all support Arsenal and I really feel like I belong here. I’d like to thank all my coaches, teammates and, most importantly, my family and friends, who have got me to where I am today.

“I’ve been at the club my whole life, so this really means a lot. There’s such a clear pathway here, players who have come through our academy, like Bukayo, Myles and Ethan, who all really inspire me. It’s amazing to have role models so close that have experienced the same thing that I have. I’m now so excited to continue to work hard with my development.”

Arteta has been very outspoken on his appreciation of the youngster, even last season bringing him up unprompted when asked about his attacking midfield options ahead of the summer transfer window.

Asked by football.london in September how the senior group reacted to the youngster when training with a player, and even being nutmegged on occasion.

"At the beginning, they responded immediately - kick him!” he joked. “That was the first one.

“And Max, to be fair, he was excellent, stood up and got into the next one. You can really take it personally, for someone who was 14 last year, at some point when he was doing certain things to players, and now everybody loves him."

The player has been taken under the wing by the likes of Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, amongst others, in the side. Arteta sung his praises when asked about the youngster’s attitude.

"You just want to hug him, help him. He's such a nice boy as well, and he's very much liked by everybody here and just looking after us," Arteta added. "It brings responsibility to look after somebody with that talent and make sure we just do what we have to do to make sure we're given the best chance to exploit his talent, that's all."