Ex-Gunner Patino Urges Caution Over Arsenal's Teen Star Dowman

Charlie Patino is uniquely positioned to step into the shoes of Arsenal 's 15-year-old starlet Max Dowman, given he was in a similar position a few years back. The ex-Gunner had long been expected to be a future jewel for the Premier League side, with fans first becoming aware of the midfielder from the age of 14.

Joining the academy of the north Londoners back in 2015 from Luton Town, competition for the youngster's signature was strife with Manchester City , Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all clamouring to sign him.

Patino quickly made strides at Hale End and featured for Arsenal's U18s side at just 14. It was in 2021 when the then-18-year-old made his long-awaited professional debut. Coming on as a late sub against Sunderland in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup, the Englishman scored Arsenal's fifth goal of the game, which he later described as the "best day of my life".

Despite the expectation that he'd go on to break into the first team, he made just one more appearance for the club before going out on loan to Blackpool and Swansea City in the Championship.

A permanent transfer to Deportivo La Coruna worth £1million then came in 2024 , putting an end to his nine-year association with the Gunners.

Arsenal seemingly have another young gem on their hands in Dowman, 15, who made his first team debut against AC Milan during this summer's pre-season while gaining plaudits for his impressive performance against Newcastle .

The 2009-born starlet became the youngest ever Premier League 2 player at 14 years old in December 2024 as he subsequently began training with the senior squad. While fans are hugely excited about the potential the attacking midfielder possesses, Patino has urged those around the teenager not to place too much pressure on him.

Speaking to The Athletic , 21-year-old Patino said: "To be breaking in (at 15) is a massive thing. It’s very rare for people that age to be doing that. I’d say from my experiences to not put too much pressure on a kid that age and just let him learn from training.

"Put him in when needed and give them time to adapt, to get that experience, to see what it’s like. That’s what I was like when I started training with the first team at 17. I was learning from Granit Xhaka, David Luiz, big egos in the group, big characters. That’s how I learnt from them."

In what has been a slow start to his career in Spain, making just eight appearances last season for Deportivo, it wasn't long ago when Patino was regarded as an outlier when it came to academy signings.

Arsenal scout Brian Stapleton spoke to Football London and admitted he made a special exception when it came to making Patino a Gunner amid interest from Premier League rivals. "When I went to watch Charlie I saw straight away the ability. His vision was unbelievable," he said.

"Even at that age he always had space and time. To see a kid at that age doing it, he would never have anyone on him when he received the ball and he knew his next move straight away. The first time I saw him I spoke to Arsenal about him. They said, 'What do you think?' and I said, 'I'm not going to see him anymore. I've seen enough of this kid.'

"The first time I watched him I recommended him that day – I've never done that with any player. Everyone was interested him. When I first watched him nobody was aware of him. That's why Arsenal had to act quickly, then before you know it Chelsea were there, Manchester City , Tottenham – every club wanted Charlie Patino."

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