What makes Dowman’s record all the more impressive is that Arteta isn’t giving the youngster playing time simply so he can later boast about having discovered him. Nor is it because he wants to throw him on here and there when there isn’t much at stake anyway. No. Arteta is convinced that, despite his extremely young age (he only turned 16 on New Year’s Eve!), Dowman can already make a difference at the highest level. Against Everton, the prodigy provided impressive proof of this.
“Arteta couldn’t care less whether Dowman is 16 or 66. He brought him on to win the game,” emphasised former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, speaking as a TV pundit for BBC Sport, and predicted: “We have a truly special player in England.”
Dowman began making headlines early on. Last summer, Arteta promoted the then 15-year-old to the first team – and in friendly matches against big-name clubs, Dowman showed that he was already more than a match for them. “What he did on the pitch is not normal for a boy of that age,” enthused Arteta after a pre-season friendly against Newcastle United in July. And English defensive legend Rio Ferdinand gushed: “He is the best 15-year-old in England – perhaps even in the whole world.”
Alongside his absurdly good left foot and outstanding dribbling, Dowman also possesses a physique that is astonishingly good for his age. This is another reason why Arteta has no qualms about placing his trust in the highly talented youngster. The fact that Dowman had to sit out for two and a half months between mid-December and the end of February due to an ankle injury did not have a negative impact on his development.
Nevertheless, Arteta is also very careful to nurture what is arguably England’s greatest young talent. Dowman has made seven appearances for the first team so far this season; on his Premier League debut against Leeds United in August (5-0), he came on as a substitute and cleverly won a penalty with a fine piece of movement. "We see that from him every day in training," Arteta told BBC Sport afterwards, showing little surprise at Dowman’s impressive first league appearance.
The Spaniard also explained how intensely Arsenal are focusing on what is best for the attacking midfielder’s development. "We’ve been looking at how he reacts to certain situations," Arteta revealed. Despite his standout moments in pre-season, Dowman was deliberately left out of the squad for the Premier League opener against Manchester United, for example. To see whether he would let it get to him or carry on undeterred. The latter was clearly the case.
In any case, Arteta paid "a huge compliment to his family. They have raised a lad with a maturity, stability and hunger that you rarely find elsewhere." Dowman, at just 15 at the time, was "already so convinced that he can deliver – I’ve never seen that in my life," praised Arteta.