Max Dowman and Marli Salmon both missed Arsenal’s u21 game on Saturday, perhaps hinting at first-team call-ups amid doubts around Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Teenage duo Max Dowman and Marli Salmon have both made frequent appearances for the Arsenal academy lately, but neither were involved as the young Gunners took on Chelsea this weekend.
Dowman had played for the Arsenal u19s earlier in the week, whilst Salmon had appeared in nine of the first 10 Arsenal u21/u19 matches of the campaign.
It was a surprise to see neither taking part in a big Premier League 2 clash against Chelsea, and perhaps it could hint at first-team involvement on Sunday against Crystal Palace.
Tom Canton highlights that Bukayo Saka wasn’t in any of Arsenal’s training photos this week, following the Atletico Madrid match. Connor Humm reports that Saka was with the squad on Saturday night, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s fit to be named in the lineup.
If Saka does have a problem, which would explain the training photo absence, then Dowman may be needed as cover for Sunday’s game.
Similarly, Mikel Arteta confirmed in his press conference on Friday that Gabriel Magalhaes hadn’t taken part in Arsenal’s training sessions after coming off injured against Atletico Madrid. If the centre-back isn’t fit for the Palace game, Salmon might make the squad in his place.
It’s unlikely either of the two youngsters will start the Palace game. Arsenal have other options, like using Gabriel Martinelli or Ethan Nwaneri on the right and using Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera, or Piero Hincapie at centre-back.
But starts for those players would mean extra spaces on the bench, and Dowman and Salmon could certainly fill those spots.