Max Dowman became the Premier League's youngest scorer at the weekend as he helped Arsenal move closer to the title
Max Dowman of Arsenal
Max Dowman scored his first Arsenal goal at the weekend(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Arsenal starlet Max Dowman's dad has hit out at a coach for claiming he was part of the youngster's development at the club. The winger, 16, became the Premier League's youngest goalscorer on Saturday as the Gunners beat Everton 2-0 to help Mikel Arteta's side edge closer to their first top-flight title in 22 years.
Temisan Williams appeared on talkSPORT with Ally McCoist and Gabby Agbonlahor on Monday morning, where he was presented as "Dowman's former coach". Williams spoke about Dowman's rise through the Arsenal academy and the player's strengths.
However, Max's dad Robert Dowman took to X to voice his anger. He said: "Listening to this guy Temisan Williams claiming he was any part of Max's journey is a really sad piece of attempted self-promotion.
"I have asked him previously to refrain from doing so, but still he pops up on talkSport this morning… I remember him putting the cones out at training a few times, but that's about it. We have so many fabulous coaches who we are so grateful to. He is certainly not one of them..."
Speaking to McCoist and Agbonlahor, Williams waxed lyrical about Dowman. He said: "It's an incredible thing that Max has done, it's brilliant for his family, the academy, the club, and the fans. He should just enjoy the moment, which I know he did.
"I should start by saying, scouts have done a fantastic job. I was the Under-12s assistant coach. I was also able to see Max for two years, so a small part of his journey, but Max has always had that super strength of being able to carry the ball. That's always been something he's enjoyed, something he's strong at and something we saw in training."
Williams' appearance on talkSPORT was not the first time he had praised the Arsenal prodigy. He told Hayters in August 2025: "He [Dowman] was probably one of the best-kept secrets in academy football.
Temisan Williams spoke about Max Dowman on talkSPORT
Temisan Williams spoke about Max Dowman on talkSPORT(Image: https://www.youtube.com/@talkSPORT)
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"I knew, and others knew about Max from 2019, if not before, so that’s where no one heard about him, but of course, rightly so, because he was only nine, ten years of age.
"But when I got to Arsenal, I was told there's a boy here who's top quality, even from that age, and I hadn’t coached him in my first year because he was two years below.
"Max was always ready for challenges. His mindset was always, I want to push myself, and you could see that. It also helped that physically, he could cope with the challenge above, so his physical profile allowed him to cope, and of course, his super strength, which we are seeing on the world stage now, is his ability to carry the ball with his left foot.
"That's always been the case with Max, and usually what is your super strength from when you’re younger is going to be the one that gets you into the first team and keeps you there."