Arsenal may have convinced Max Dowman to sign scholarship terms, but the attacking midfielder could still leave the Emirates Stadium in January, according to a transfer journalist, who has suggested Liverpool as a potential club that could come for him.<\/p>\n
Dowman signed scholarship terms with Arsenal<\/a> last week, according to The Athletic, which reported that a professional contract for the teenager will be finalised when he reaches 17.<\/p>\n \u2018It will secure Dowman for two years but once he reaches 16, on December 31, a professional deal can be offered and pre-agreed to take effect on his 17th birthday,\u2019 adds the report.<\/p>\n The 15-year-old impressed in pre-season with Arsenal and made his Premier League debut for the north London outfit in a 5-0 win against Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on August 23.<\/p>\n Dowman has played 27 minutes in the Premier League and 27 minutes in the Carabao Cup so far this season for Arsenal, who have high hopes for him.<\/p>\n While Arsenal are over the moon to have convinced Dowman, who has played 17 matches as an attacking midfielder, 10 games as a right winger and five times as a central midfielder in his career so far, to pen scholarship terms, transfer journalist Graeme Bailey believes that there is still a chance that he could leave in January.<\/p>\n While namechecking Liverpool<\/a> and Chelsea as the two clubs who could theoretically move for Dowman in the New Year, Bailey has warned Arsenal fans not to get carried away.<\/p>\n Dowman will not be able to sign a professional deal with Arsenal until he turns 17 in December 2026.<\/p>\n Bailey told Arsenal Insider<\/a>: \u201cThere\u2019s only a limit to what a player on a scholarship can earn.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s only a limit to what a player can get before he\u2019s 17 or on a pro deal. He\u2019s agreed terms on his scholarship, but that doesn\u2019t secure him at Arsenal.<\/p>\n \u201cI think people are going over the top here. I\u2019m told Arsenal are massively playing this down.<\/p>\n \u201cHis people were not talking to any other club, they really weren\u2019t. They\u2019re Arsenal through and through at the minute.<\/p>\n \u201cClearly, they know there\u2019s interest out there from other clubs, but some of the reporting is so wide of the mark.<\/p>\n \u201cHim agreeing this does nothing to stop a Chelsea<\/a> or Liverpool from, in theory, taking him in January.<\/p>\n \u201cA scholarship essentially means nothing, and I think people are getting a bit ahead of themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not to say Dowman wants to go anywhere, it\u2019s just that the reporting is going a bit strong on him being completely signed up for the long-term already.\u201d<\/p>\n READ NEXT\u00a0<\/strong>\ud83d\udd34\u26aa\u00a0Assessing how good Eberechi Eze ACTUALLY was after first Premier League goal for Arsenal<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Should Arsenal fans worry about Max Dowman?<\/strong><\/p>\n Until and unless Dowman has signed a professional contract with Arsenal, there will be concerns among the Gunners\u2019 fans.<\/p>\n However, all indications are that the teenager is not angling for a move away.<\/p>\n Dowman signing scholarship terms with Arsenal indicates that he sees his long-term future at the Premier League giants.<\/p>\n Moreover, Dowman\u2019s entourage has already turned down approaches from Chelsea and Barcelona.<\/p>\n Hand of Arsenal, an Arsenal In The Know (ITK) posted on X at 6:15pm on October 23: \u201cThe whole Dowman family including Max were going crazy at the Bernab\u00e9u when we bopped Madrid. He was never leaving.<\/p>\n \u201cMassive shoutout to his father who told every club including Barca and Chelsea to not even consider an approach because..<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Arsenal is our club\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cHale End.\u201d<\/p>\n What Mikel Arteta and Cristhian Mosquera\u00a0have said about Max Dowman<\/strong><\/p>\n Dowman is rated very highly by Arsenal, with manager Mikel Arteta and defender Cristhian Mosquera raving about him.<\/p>\n Mosquera told The Athletic on October 15: \u201cI don\u2019t mean to compare, but his style and way of playing is like Lamine Yamal. His movements are Lamine-esque.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have him on my radar and when I got to Singapore, he was already training and playing.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they told me he was 15, I couldn\u2019t believe it. He really is an incredible player, and I think he\u2019s going to be world-class.\u201d<\/p>\n Goal quoted Arteta as saying about Dowman\u2019s nutmegs in training on September 23: \u201cAt the beginning, they responded immediately \u2013 kick him! That was the first one.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Max, to be fair, he was excellent, stood up and got into the next one.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can really take it personally, for someone who was 14 last year, at some point when he was doing certain things to players, and now everybody loves him.\u201d<\/p>\n Arteta added: \u201cYou just want to hug him, help him. He\u2019s such a nice boy as well and he\u2019s very much liked by everybody here and just looking after us.<\/p>\n \u201cIt brings responsibility to look after somebody with that talent and make sure we just do what we have to do to make sure we\u2019re given the best chance to exploit his talent, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n Latest Arsenal transfer news: Xabi Alonso verdict, Martinelli stance<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso\u2019s one-word verdict on a Real Madrid star<\/a> has dashed all hopes of an Arsenal transfer.<\/p>\n