Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta recently handed 15-year-old Max Dowman his Premier League debut, with the schoolboy joining a contingent of rising stars at the Emirates.
The attacking midfielder dazzled in a 5-0 rout against Leeds and even won a penalty for star summer signing Viktor Gyokeres to fire home, right after he became the second-youngest Premier League debutant in history.
Max-Dowman-Arsenal
He's also Arsenal's second-youngest professional appearance-maker ever, behind Ethan Nwaneri, with Arteta rewarding Dowman by picking him in their final Champions League squad for the league phase.
Premier League's youngest ever players Age Club
Ethan Nwaneri 15 years, 181 days Arsenal
Max Dowman 15 years, 235 days Arsenal
Jeremy Monga 15 years, 271 days Leicester City
Harvey Elliott 16 years, 30 days Fulham
Matthew Briggs 16 years, 68 days Fulham
The hype around Dowman is monumental right now, and club legend Paul Merson has already suggested he could be one of the best in the world.
“You don’t want to put too much pressure on that lad, he’s 15," Merson said on Soccer Saturday last weekend.
“But these players come along once in a blue moon. You’ve got to picture he’s 15 years of age, he’s still at school, and he’s playing in the hardest league in the world and doing this kind of stuff.
“It’s different now. When I was playing I had to be the best around London. This kid’s got to be the best in the world at his position. This kid is a freak, I mean that in the most respectable way, he’s a freak.”
Dowman and Nwaneri, if all goes to plan, could stock Arsenal's attacking midfield options for the foreseeable future, with 18-year-old defender Myles Lewis-Skelly also rising to prominence last season.
The left-back played his way into England's squad with some excellent performances both domestically and in Europe, pushing established Premier League players like Oleksandr Zinchenko down the pecking order.
Arsenal's Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Leandro Trossard
Arsenal's Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Leandro Trossard
Lewis-Skelly comes as an excellent alternative to Riccardo Calafiori as well, who's impressed this season but has also struggled with injuries since joining Arsenal from Bologna in the summer of 2024.
In any case, the future looks very bright indeed, with Arsenal's reputation for producing stellar gems via their Hale End academy only reinforced.
Arsenal also brought in some promising talent from elsewhere, namely defender Cristhian Mosquera in a bargain deal from Valencia in the summer.
Arsenal think Cristhian Mosquera could be one of the best in the world
The Spain Under-21 international played right-back against Leeds and did a solid job replacing the injured William Saliba against Liverpool, with Arsenal believed to hold Mosquera in very high esteem behind-the-scenes.
Mosquera-Arsenal
According to journalist Graeme Bailey, speaking to TBR Football, while new signing Piero Hincapie is threatened by the 21-year-old when it comes to game time, those within the club believe Mosquera could be one of the best in the world at Arsenal in a few years.
“He (Hincapie) is coming in with the idea that Mosquera is more of a young project," said Bailey.
"They [Arsenal] see him as someone who, in three or four years, could be one of the best in the world.”
The ex-La Liga sensation has also earned serious praise from Arteta already, who called him an "exciting" talent with "huge" potential.
"We're delighted to welcome Cristhian to Arsenal," said Arteta.
"As a 21-year-old defender, Cristhian has already performed consistently well with significant experience in La Liga. He is an intelligent player with good pace, who can play centrally and on both sides.
“He is a young player with exciting talent and enormous potential."