Our Young Gun series gets to know the academy youngsters kicking off their careers at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.
Bowen Phillips spoke to us recently about his excellent start at under-18s level and looking up to our first-team academy graduates.
I grew up in Chingford and got into football around the age of six through my dad, older brother and grandad. My dad and brother played at a semi-professional level, and my grandad, Mick Payne, is a coach for England C, so I’ve been around the game my whole life.
My dad is Jamaican, my mum is English, and that background has always been a pig part of who I am.
I started playing for West Essex before moving to Globe Rangers, and it was during my time there that I was picked up by West Ham at the age of nine. I had already been involved in their development centre for a couple of years, so I was familiar with the setup.
Growing up, I’ve always been a massive Arsenal fan, but someone I really looked up to was Cristiano Ronaldo. The way he glided past players and scored so many goals inspired me.
Towards the end of my time at West Ham, I felt like I wasn’t getting the opportunities to step up to under-18s level and really test myself. I went on trial at Southampton and Wolves, and there was also interest from Arsenal.
I had a two-week trial (at Arsenal), felt I performed well, and ended up signing at under-15 level, which was an incredible feeling. It also helped that I already knew Josiah King from our time at Globe Rangers, so that made the transition easier.
Since joining Arsenal, things have been really positive. I’ve had the chance to travel to Brazil for the Flamengo Adidas Cup, which was an unforgettable experience.
I’ve also had opportunities to train with the first team, which has been eye-opening. The tempo is very high, and Declan Rice really stood out to me in training. His technique is top-level, and he sets such a high standard. It was interesting because I had watched him play for West Ham under-21s when I was there.
Now that I’m a scholar, my first season has gone well. I’ve played a number of games, scored for the under-18s and also had a good run with the under-17s programme, getting three goals in five games.
At the start of the season, I also featured a couple of times for the under-21s, which has been great for testing myself across different age groups. I feel like I train at my best when I’m around the first team because you have to raise your level. If you don’t, you get found out quickly.
“It is motivating to see that opportunities are there for academy players.”
Seeing players like Max Dowman coming through now, and previously Myles and Ethan breaking into the first team, shows that there is a real pathway at the club.
It is motivating to see that opportunities are there for academy players. For the rest of the season, my goal is to keep performing well with the under-18s and push on towards regular involvement with the under-21s.
Longer term, I am aiming to earn a first-team appearance and continue progressing as far as I can in the game.
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