Arsenal: Mikel Arteta reveals plan for Max Dowman after rubbishing transfer links

The 15-year-old has agreed scholarship terms but could still be lured away from N5 before he signs a professional deal

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is not worried about another club poaching teenage star Max Dowman before he signs a professional contract.

Dowman has agreed to sign scholarship terms with Arsenal at the end of this season, but he cannot sign a pro deal until his 17th birthday.

That is not until December 31 next year, and until Dowman has put pen to paper, another club could steal him away.

But Arteta is confident that the 15-year-old is happy at Arsenal and sees his future with the club.

“I don’t think about those things (Dowman signing a professional contract with another club), because everything that I hear from the player and the family has been very positive,” he said.

“The feeling that I have is that, genuinely, he loves it here. He is a huge Arsenal supporter and his family are really happy with the way things are developing around him as well. Hopefully for many years he will be with us.”

Dowman has been training with the Arsenal first-team squad since last year and the club have designed a bespoke development plan for him.

The 15-year-old has played three times for the first team this season and could be in the squad on Wednesday night, when the Gunners host Brighton in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

Dowman has also been playing for Arsenal’s youth sides, though, and Arteta has stressed the need to manage his minutes.

“If we looked at his passport every day we would never play him, simple as that,” said Arteta.

“But when you look at what he does in training you have to play him - if not you are blind, or I’m blind.

“So it is finding a balance, an understanding, especially the load, the things that are changing in his life, and make sure he can cope with that. So far he has done that.

“Especially with a lot of new things that are happening to him with the national team, playing with two different group ages, and with us, and then prepare games with another team. It is a lot.

“We have to manage that. He will play minutes with us for sure and when he has the chance to do that he needs to take it.

“I am calm over it because what we have decided for him for the first few months is happening. “When we have to give him games, whether it is in the youth cup or with the U23s or with us, he has that.

“He has a lot of exposure in training with us, too. We really have to manage his load. He is 15 years old, still growing, a lot of things we have to make sure are under control to make sure he develops in the way he can do.”