Arsenal prodigy who was wanted by rivals tells Mikel Arteta what to do with Max Dowman

Charlie Patino is perfectly placed to offer guidance to Arsenal's 15-year-old sensation Max Dowman, having walked a remarkably similar path just a few years ago.

The former Gunner had long been tipped as a future star for the Premier League club, with supporters first taking notice of the midfielder when he was just 14. After joining the academy of the north London outfit in 2015 from Luton Town, there was fierce competition for the youngster's services with Manchester City, Chelseaand Tottenham Hotspur all eager to secure his signature.

Patino swiftly progressed at Hale End and turned out for Arsenal's U18s team at merely 14 years of age. It was in 2021 when the then-18 year old finally made his eagerly anticipated professional debut.

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Entering as a late substitute against Sunderland in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, the Englishman netted Arsenal's fifth goal of the match, which he subsequently called the "best day of my life".

Despite expectations that he would establish himself in the first team, he managed just one additional appearance for the club before heading out on loan spells with Blackpool and Swansea City in the Championship.

A permanent move to Deportivo La Coruna worth £1million followed in 2024, bringing his nine-year journey with the Gunners to a close. Arsenal appear to possess another promising talent in Dowman, who made his first team bow against AC Milan during this summer's pre-season whilst earning praise for his outstanding display against Newcastle.

The young star, born in 2009, made history as the youngest ever Premier League 2 player at just 14 years old in December 2024, and has since started training with the senior squad, reports the Mirror. While supporters are buzzing about the potential of the attacking midfielder, Patino has advised caution to avoid putting too much pressure on him.

In an interview with The Athletic, the 21-year-old 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."

Despite a slow start to his career in Spain, making only eight appearances last season for Deportivo, it wasn't long ago when Patino was considered a unique case among academy signings.

Brian Stapleton, an Arsenal scout, spoke toFootball London and confessed he made a special exception when signing Patino amidst interest from Premier League rivals. "When I went to watch Charlie I saw straight away the ability. His vision was unbelievable," he stated.

"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."