Bowden signed for Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in March 1933 for £4,500, as the intended replacement for David Jack. He scored in the first two of the seven First Division matches he played in what remained of that seasonnot enough for a league-winners' medalbut was a regular for the next two campaigns, as Arsenal won two more titles on the trot. Playing mainly as an inside forward, behind Ted Drake, he still scored his fair share despite his slight build in what was at the time a very physical game. His goalscoring included a haul of 13 in 1933–34, which made him Arsenal's top scorer in the league, jointly with Cliff Bastin, and 14 in 1934–35, which included a hat-trick in an 8–1 defeat of Liverpool. Bowden won his first cap for England that season, against Wales on 29 September 1934. Two months later, he was one of seven Arsenal players who played in England's 3–2 win against 1934 World Cup-winners Italy in the so-called "Battle of Highbury", during which he injured an ankle. In all Bowden represented his country six times and scored once, against Wales in February 1936; he also played twice for the Football League XI.