Arsenal are now just a week away from beginning the defence of their Premier League title. The Gunners have added some major reinforcements for the cause, such as Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United and Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge.
A key focus during their campaign will be the evolution of Max Dowman. The youngster made history last season by becoming the Premier League’s youngest ever goalscorer at the tender age of 16 years and 73 days.
The teenager has ever since been touted as the next big thing in English football. He further fueled the hype train with a goal and assist against Girona in a recent pre-season friendly in Catalunya.
It remains to be seen how much faith manager Mikel Arteta puts on the young shoulders, especially if injuries come knocking like last season. Dowman has so far made 13 senior appearances for the Gunners, including four features in the starting XI.
The youngster seems to have hurt his chances of late since the Girona game with a series of poor performances.
It all began in a friendly against Real Betis in Dublin, where Dowman started on the right wing. He failed to provide any attacking impetus, and was eventually taken off in the 62nd minute as Arsenal lost 1-3.
An even more toothless performance followed against Borussia Dortmund at home in the Emirates. He was outshined by new signing Christos Tzolis and Arsenal number nine Viktor Gyokeres as the Gunners succumbed to another 2-3 defeat.
A fourth start in a row agianst Cesc Fabregas’ Como gave Dowman one final chance to prove his mettle in the pre-season. Yet, his only major contribution was helping the opposition equalize in a 1-1 draw to cap off a disastrous run for the teenager.
The sudden slump combined with the all-encompassing build-up of the Englishman has thoroughly disillusioned a section of fans. So much so that it has culminated in a rather peculiar comparison with a certain forgotten talent by the name of Todd Cantwell.
Like Dowman, Cantwell was a prodigy who arrived onto the Premier League stage as a teenager with Norwich City. The pair play the same position too in attacking midfield, with a penchant for scoring important goals.
Unfortunately, that is where the positives end.
Dowman is being accused by fans of trying to do too much, a common narrative that followed Cantwell during his time in the Prem. Cantwell’s work rate had also come under criticism akin to a host of other attacking mids, including Dowman no less.
Bro be just doing the most random things and nobody calls it out cuz he’s 16. Over dribbling nerve passes at the right time half heartedly gets back to help his defenders and loses possession in important areas way too often for me. But I be staying silent lol
— AFCjamnyc (@Bandalero101) August 13, 2026
Dowman belongs to a class of players that love having touches on the ball and running with, similar to an Isco or a Xavi. However, unlike those legends, he has shown an affinity to force things even when there are no clear openings.
Cantwell was accused of the same during the peak of his hype, even when he had the lethal likes of Teemu Pukki playing in front of him.
Dowman just needs to release the ball more. Holds onto it for dear life 😭
— ayehefsee (@ayehefsee) August 13, 2026
Moreover, much like Dowman, Cantwell was already accepted as an elite talent before he made any significant contributions.
The 2019/20 season became known as the then-Norwich star’s breakthrough season after scoring goals against the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea. Yet, it only culminated to six strikes in 37 appearances, and saw the Canaries being demoted to the Championship.
This is him full stop – he’s not had a single high level performance in professional football yet (which isn’t a problem btw as he’s only 16 – Arsenal fans just need to calm down with the hype)
— User (@user363819369) August 13, 2026
Norwich got a large share of blame for Cantwell’s eventual failures too, as fans claimed they blooded the talent before he was ready. Fans are afraid the same fate could befall Dowman, who is already receiving unreal stick before he can even legally drive or drink.
I’m a big fan of his but he’s not ready yet, makes too many mistakes.
— ysoserious (@smfcscotland) August 13, 2026
As it stands, Cantwell ended up with loan stints in the Netherlands and with AFC Bournemouth before joining Rangers. He currently plies his trade for Blackburn Rovers, having signed for them in 2024.
Dowman will hope he is destined for bigger and better things, even if fans think otherwise. A potential first chance for him awaits on the weekend, when Arsenal take on City in Cardiff for the FA Community Shield.
