A coach accused of exploiting Max Dorman’s success has issued an apology after confronting the Arsenal star’s father. Dowman’s story came into the spotlight last weekend after he became the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer.
The 16-year-old scored a counter-attacking goal to give Arsenal a 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday. The promising winger has made several appearances for Mikel Arteta’s side this season, but his goal has taken his status to new heights. Following Dauman’s accomplishments, Temisan Williams was invited to speak on talkSPORT, where he was introduced as “Dauman’s former coach.”
Despite claiming it was just “a small part of my journey”, Williams’ appearance on the radio station angered the young player’s father.
Robert Dauman posted on X: “It’s a really sad attempt at self-promotion to hear a guy called Temisan Williams claim he too was part of Max’s journey. I previously asked him not to do that, but he still showed up on talkSPORT this morning…
“I remember him putting cones down a few times during practice, but that’s about it. We have a lot of great coaches that we’re really grateful for, and he’s certainly not one of them…”
In response, Mr. Williams issued his own statement. He wrote to X: “Following Rob Dowman’s comments today, I spoke with Rob Dowman and apologized to him and his family. I will no longer discuss Max Dowman’s development. I wish Rob Dowman and his family nothing but continued success.”
Dowman showed remarkable composure as he beat two Everton players and was surrounded by his team-mates in the final stages of the game after Jordan Pickford’s attempted corner kick, which he slotted into an empty net.
By finding the back of the net, he surpassed the record set by James Bourne in 2005 as the youngest player to score in the Premier League.
Mr Williams, whose social media profiles list him as having coached at Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham, featured on talkSPORT on Monday morning with Ally McCoist and Gabby Agbonlahor and provided insight into Mr Dowman’s progress.
“What Max has achieved is unbelievable. It’s great for the family, the academy, the club and the fans. He should just enjoy the moment and I know he has done that,” he said.
“First of all, the scouts have done a great job. I was an assistant coach with the Under-12s and I got to watch Max for two years, so I was just a small part of his journey, but Max always had the super strength of being able to carry the ball. It’s always something he enjoys, it’s something he’s good at, and it’s something we saw in training as well.”
A previous post on Robert Dowman’s X account revealed who he believes is important to his son’s development at Arsenal: the club’s academy scout Johnny Knight.
“A proud day for us. Nothing would be possible without this man. Thank you Johnny Knight. Spotted Max at the age of four and recruited him to Arsenal. Best scout in the business and an even better person. Johnny Knight.”
