Arsenal
Mosquera on Dowman: Early Comparison to Lamine Yamal and Faith in Arsenal’s Youth
Cristhian Mosquera likens 15-year-old Max Dowman to Lamine Yamal and praises Arsenal youth praised..
Cristhian Mosquera has been struck by the technical profile of a 15-year-old team-mate during Arsenal’s preseason and early-season integration. The defender, who arrived in the summer, met Max Dowman while the squad was in Singapore and was immediately surprised by the teenager’s level.
“I don’t mean to compare, but his style and way of playing is like Lamine Yamal,” Mosquera told The Athletic. “His movements are Lamine-esque.” Mosquera noted that he had faced Lamine Yamal four times during his time at Valencia, and that experience helped him recognise similarities between the two left-footed right wingers.
Dowman had already been discussed among Arsenal supporters toward the end of last season when a run of attacking injuries thrust academy prospects into the conversation. As a Year 11 student he was not legally eligible to be registered at that point, but he has since made a tentative introduction to senior football this season that has drawn attention inside the squad.
“I didn’t have him on my radar and when I got to Singapore, he was already training and playing,” the young defender noted. “When they told me he was 15, I couldn’t believe it. He really is an incredible player, and I think he’s going to be world class.”
Mosquera also pointed to other Hale End graduates as examples of a mature youth cohort. “You see 17 and 18-year-olds like Myles [Lewis-Skelly] or Ethan (Nwaneri) and they play like they’re 30, like they’ve been playing football their whole lives. It’s incredible.”
Those young players form part of a club group that has been close to major honours in recent seasons, finishing as Premier League runners-up in three successive campaigns. Mosquera described an atmosphere inside the dressing room that combines belief and hunger.
“We look at each other in the dressing room, we see what’s around us, and there’s an atmosphere of winners that we ourselves believe in,” Mosquera insisted. “We know we’re capable, so why not believe in it? In recent years, things weren’t going the way people wanted, the way the players wanted, the way the club wanted. But this year, people are very happy, with that optimism that this is going to be the year.”
Analytics & Stats
Opta Numbers Confirm Arsenal’s Set-Piece Method Shapes Their Play
Opta data shows Arsenal delay corners and dominate set pieces, defining their attack in 2025. Today.
Opta figures from the opening weeks of the 2025/26 season underline a clear pattern: Arsenal disrupt the flow of matches and extract tangible gains from set pieces. Across the first seven Premier League fixtures the club spent a combined 40 minutes and six seconds preparing corners, at least 11 minutes and 12 seconds more than any other team in the division.
That average equates to 45.4 seconds per corner. Only newly promoted Sunderland register a longer pause before delivery, at 49.5 seconds, while Manchester City require just 29.1 seconds to set up a corner. Arsenal also win more corners than any other side in the league and are making those delays count.
Arteta’s side have already amassed a league-high seven set-piece goals this season, as many as Manchester City managed across the entirety of the previous campaign. The club’s reputation for methodical dead-ball work has been guided by a dedicated set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, whose touchline gestures and visible influence have even inspired a fan-led mural in north London.
Opponents have noticed. Last season Liverpool manager Arne Slot called these tactics a “f—— joke” and Manchester City defender John Stones said: “I wouldn’t say they have mastered it, but they have done it for a few years now, so we knew to expect that. You can call it clever or dirty, whichever way you want to put it. But they break up the game, which upsets the rhythm. They use it to their advantage.” Those assessments reflect how delays and tactical stoppages can unsettle rivals.
Yet Arsenal are not solely a set-piece side. The current Premier League leaders sit seventh for open-play xG with 6.2 and rank fifth for shots with 63, but they have scored five goals from open play, placing 11th in that metric. Their xG per shot is 0.098, ranked 13th. The figures show a team that creates chances but relies unusually heavily on dead-ball situations to convert them.
Data via Opta. Correct as of Oct. 15, 2025.
Arsenal
Nathaniel Brown on suitors’ radar after breakthrough season at Eintracht
Brown’s season at Eintracht has drawn interest from Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester City. Top pick
Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester City have been linked with Nathaniel Brown after the left back established himself in Eintracht Frankfurt’s starting XI. Brown spent the second half of the 2023–24 season on loan at Nürnberg to secure regular first-team football and has since forced his way into the Eintracht side.
A first Germany call-up from Julian Nagelsmann followed, and Brown made his debut in the 4–0 win over Luxembourg. German outlet BILD report that the trio of European powers are now monitoring his progress as they plan for domestic and continental campaigns.
Brown’s profile is highlighted by his pace and positional sense. He has been clocked at 34.7 km/hr this season and is described as an “attractive” prospect because of his speed combined with defensive awareness. AC Milan reportedly made an approach in the summer, but Brown declined that move and remains focused on Eintracht and on earning a place in Nagelsmann’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Any future transfer would be measured against a €60 million ($69.3 million) release clause. That figure is framed in the context of recent high-value moves such as Hugo Ekitiké’s sale to Liverpool for €80 million, potentially rising to €95 million, and Omar Marmoush’s transfer to Man City for €75 million.
Brown is also gaining Champions League experience with Eintracht. He has featured in both group-stage matches so far, a 5–1 victory over Galatasaray and a 5–1 defeat to Atlético Madrid.
The interest in Brown is contextualised by squad situations at the clubs named. Real Madrid have Ferland Mendy and Fran García as options under Xabi Alonso, while Pep Guardiola has at times deployed Nico O’Reilly at left back for Manchester City. Arsenal appear well supplied at left back in 2025–26 with Riccardo Calafiori starting and Myles Lewis-Skelly as understudy, a depth policy overseen by Mikel Arteta as the Gunners sit atop the Premier League table after the season’s early exchanges.
Arsenal
Ødegaard ruled out until November international break, Arsenal brace for busy spell
Ødegaard to be sidelined until at least the November international break, forcing Arsenal adjustment.
Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard faces an absence stretching to at least the November international break after being diagnosed with an MCL issue, according to a new report. The club previously described a persistent shoulder problem before the MCL diagnosis. Arsenal did not give a recovery timeframe, though some experts suggested the lay-off could be as long as two months.
BBC Sport reports Ødegaard will be out until Nov. 23 at the earliest. The same report offers no definitive return date for the 26-year-old and expresses doubt over his involvement in the first north London derby of the season immediately after the international window. That prognosis guarantees he will miss a run of important fixtures over the coming weeks:
Oct. 18 — Premier League, Fulham (A)
Oct. 21 — Champions League, Atlético Madrid (H)
Oct. 26 — Premier League, Crystal Palace (H)
Oct. 29 — EFL Cup, Brighton (H)
Nov. 1 — Premier League, Burnley (A)
Nov. 4 — Champions League, Slavia Praha (A)
Nov. 8 — Premier League, Sunderland (A)
Mikel Arteta’s current league leaders have managed reasonably well despite Ødegaard having featured for less than one-third of available Premier League minutes this season. The club skipper is typically the team’s most prolific creator, though he competes for that distinction with Bukayo Saka. Unlike Ødegaard, Saka is back fit and available.
In limited Premier League time Saka has logged 348 minutes and created six chances from open play, the second-highest total in the Arsenal squad. Right back Jurriën Timber leads that particular metric with seven, a return partly attributable to his availability. Timber has appeared in every league game so far this season, and that consistency has fuelled talk of a new contract.
Set-piece specialist Declan Rice has produced two assists from corner situations this season and is expected to remain a key delivery option. The article also notes summer recruit Eberechi Eze was arguably brought in to contribute in these scenarios.
