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Max Dowman's dad issued a furious rant after a former Arsenal coach tried to take some credit for the 16-year-old's path to scoring his first Premier League goal
08:36, 17 Mar 2026Updated 08:44, 17 Mar 2026
Arsenal's Max Dowman
Arsenal's Max Dowman(Image: Getty Images)
Everything you need to know about the coach that angered Max Dowman's dad after a blistering rant following his first Premier League goal...
The coach at the centre of the controversy is Temisan Williams, a former Arsenal Under-12s assistant coach. He angered the Dowman family by appearing on talkSPORT to discuss Max’s development and success shortly after the 16-year-old became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton.
Robert Dowman, Max’s father, launched a blistering rant on X (formerly Twitter), stating: "Listening to this guy Temisan Williams claiming he was any part of Max's journey is a really sad piece of attempted self-promotion." He accused Williams of ignoring previous requests to stop speaking about his son publicly.
The father’s angry tirade further diminished Williams' actual involvement with the player, with Robert claiming: "I remember him putting the cones out at training a few times, but that's about it." He emphasised that while the family is grateful to many "fabulous coaches," Williams is "certainly not one of them."
During his radio appearance, Williams had waxed lyrical about Max’s "super strength" in ball carrying. Despite the backlash, Williams defended his comments by clarifying he was only a "small part of his journey" as an assistant coach who observed the youngster’s progression over a two-year period at the academy.
Robert Dowman used the opportunity to highlight who he believes actually deserves credit for his son's rise. He praised Johnny Knight, the Arsenal scout who spotted Max at age four, calling him the "best scout in the business" and the person responsible for the player’s journey.
Following the social media backlash, Williams issued a public apology. He confirmed he had spoken directly with the family and stated: "Going forward, I will not be discussing Max Dowman's development." He concluded by wishing the family "nothing but continued success" in the future.
The row erupted during a historic week for the Arsenal academy. Max Dowman broke James Vaughan’s record to become the youngest ever scorer in the Premier League, a feat that has brought intense scrutiny and national media attention to his upbringing and the coaches involved in his early career.
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