Max Dowman's father has launched a scathing attack on social media directed at one of the teenage sensation's former Arsenal academy coaches. The 16-year-old has been slowly but surely rising to prominence this season, knocking on the door of the first team as he earns minutes from the bench under Mikel Arteta’s careful watch.
But on Saturday night, the boyhood supporter announced himself to the world by becoming the youngest Premier League goalscorer in the post-1992 era. He raced away from one defender after picking up the ball from an Everton corner that Jordan Pickford had come up for late on, then danced past a second before eventually tapping in to seal the league leaders’ 2-0 win. The result moved Arsenal 10 points clear of Manchester City and effectively placed one hand on the title. Watch the moment below:
He has been all the rave since that moment, with several high-profile names in English football waxing lyrical about his chances of making it big (not least England legend Gary Lineker), as he is already considered one of the best young players in the world right now. However, Dowman's dad, Robert, has been left with a bone to pick with one of his former coaches, who has tried to take some of the plaudits for his prodigious talent.
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Dowman's Father Slams 'Fraud' ex-Arsenal Academy Coach
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A football coach by the name of Temisan Williams, previously an academy coach at Arsenal, Tottenham and Fulham, has come under scrutiny by Dowman's father after he spoke about his experiences working with the 16-year-old at the Hale End Academy. Robert wrote on X (see the full post below):
"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 he still 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 Ally McCoist and Gabby Agbonlahor on talkSPORT's breakfast show in a clip titled: 'Max Dowman's former coach REVEALS ALL on his journey to first team football at Arsenal!', Williams said, as per the Daily Mail: "It's a fantastic thing, incredible thing that Max has done.
"It's brilliant for his family, the academy, club, fans, and it's always a bit of a surprise as the journey can have so many ups and downs. He should just enjoy that moment. The scouts have done a fantastic job. I was the Under 12s assistant coach and was able to see Max for two years, a small part of his journey.
"Max has always had that super-strength of being able to carry the ball. It's always been something he has enjoyed and something he's strong at. It's something we saw in training and are now seeing on the TV."
Dowman Senior Rejects Interview Opportunity to Address Issues
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Williams continued to praise Dowman and his family, before urging caution in hyping up the 16-year-old too much. "We definitely need to calm down," he added. "We've seen some crazy comparisons. He's not even started his career and he's being compared to those who are legends of the game. Let's wait 20, 25 years, God willing he has a successful career, and then maybe we can look at the comparisons.
"Max is very grounded, has a grounded family who are brilliant. He's doing very well in the Under 21s under Max Porter." Despite the positive words about his son, Dowman Snr was still unhappy with Williams. In an interaction with a producer who was asking to interview him, Dowman replied (see below):
"Hi, thank you for reaching out. Thank you very much for the opportunity, but I won’t be offering comments or interviews. It’s not about me. One piece of advice I will give you is that Temisan Williams claiming he has in any way contributed to Max's development is verging on fraud."
The producer replied, thanking Dowman for his response, before asking if there were any particular coaches or scouts he should try to speak to instead.
Dowman said: "No. But you shouldn’t give airtime to this guy. He will be using platforms to promote himself as Max's coach to increase his profile under false pretences. Ultimately, he will prey on parents chasing the dream for their children. You really should do your diligence."