Arteta’s modern-day Bergkamp looks finished at Arsenal

If Arsenal do win the Premier League title in May, then it’s likely supporters will look back on the 14th March as a defining moment in the race to be crowned England’s best team.

Just a few hours after securing a 2-0 win over Everton, the Gunners watched on as Manchester City dropped points to West Ham on the road.

Yet, that was not even the best part of the day for the Gunners; Max Dowman’s goal was.

The term generational gets thrown around way too often nowadays but in this 16-year-old, a teenager who is yet to even sit his GCSE’s, they have a remarkably good young talent.

His burst of pace to get away from the Everton defence before rolling the ball into an empty net is easily one of the most memorable Emirates Stadium moments. He became the youngest goal scorer in Premier League history in the process.

Where Dowman ranks among Arsenal’s best Hale Enders

Through the doors of Hale End have walked hundreds and thousands of footballers. A very small minority ever become professional footballers, let alone make it at Arsenal.

That’s what makes an academy graduate’s breakthrough so special. He’s one of your own and in Dowman, Arsenal have that. However, where does he rank among the very best to tread those paths before him?

Well, he’s got to be right up there. This ridiculous teenager was playing U18 football at the age of 13, is the youngest player in Champions League history and while Ethan Nwaneri beat him to the honour of being the youngest in English top-flight history, he has him beat for the youngest scorer.

It’s a remarkable feat and one, despite his tender age, that puts him right at the top of the list of players to come through the academy.

Not even the likes of Bukayo Saka, Jack Wilshere or Cesc Fabregas played and scored at a younger age and just look what they went on to achieve.

Expectations must be tempered, but when Dowman is already being compared to the likes of Lionel Messi and Kaka, you know you have a mighty fine player on your hands.

It’s the type of player you sacrifice a lot for to ensure he reaches the very top of the game.

Who will have to make way for Max Dowman at Arsenal

This season, Arsenal’s squad depth has been heralded as not just the best in the Premier League, but in Europe too. It’s precisely why they remain on course to potentially win the quadruple.

It’s also why Dowman’s rise this season has been all the more remarkable. On Saturday, with the score locked at 0-0, Arteta first turned to Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres but then, with 16 minutes left, looked to Dowman.

Three more experienced players were still on the bench at the time in the form of Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Gabriel Jesus but they were ignored in favour of a child. That shows just how good he is.

At the weekend, it was from the right-hand side of the pitch that Dowman starred, first curling in the ball that led to Gyokeres’ opener and then scoring himself. A week prior, the teenager starred in a more central role against Mansfield Town.

That versatility will undoubtedly help Dowman reach the top quicker but it does also mean that a number of players in this Arsenal squad should be looking over their shoulders, not least Saka and Noni Madueke who have been vying for a spot on the right wing this term.

Yet, the sense is that the youngster’s long-term future is behind the striker as a no.10 and that’s not only bad news for Nwaneri who had to head to Marseille on loan, but also for summer signing Eberechi Eze and club captain Martin Odegaard.

While Eze has found a better run of form over the last month, there are huge question marks surrounding Odegaard’s future at the Emirates Stadium, question marks that now only grow louder after Dowman’s first Arsenal goal.

There’s a sense of irony to this tale. Like Dowman, Odegaard burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old. He earned his first cap for Norway at 15 years and 253 days and was coined as a generational attacking midfielder, the best thing since sliced bread.

As a result, Arsenal’s young superstar will have no better mentor, but it would not be a surprise if the Englishman soon surpasses the club’s no.8.

Once said to be “like Dennis Bergkamp” by Frank Leboeuf, the Norwegian was certainly cut from a similar cloth during the 2022/23 campaign. Back then, no Premier League midfielder scored more than his 15 goals.

However, since then, the £30m signing has not been able to replicate those performances, particularly over the last two seasons.

While he did struggle with an ankle injury last term, the captain ended the campaign with just three goals in 30 league games. This season has been even worse. The 27-year-old has struggled with fitness again but only has one Premier League strike in 20 outings.

On his day, Odegaard is one of the most marvellous players you can set your eyes on but he simply hasn’t been at the races in recent years. It’s likely why Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta were so keen to sign Eze last summer.

However, the former Real Madrid man now doesn’t just have Eze to fight with; Dowman is here too and his potential looks so supreme that he should be playing ahead of the captain. After all, he’s scored just as many league goals this term despite being just 16.

While it’s unlikely Arteta will discard Odegaard over the summer, his days as a regular starter look finished if Dowman’s progression continues to soar.

If the teen is going to realise his potential, then clearing a path to that no.10 spot is going to be key.