Scholes Identifies 16-Year-Old Max Dowman as Potential Season-Saver for Arsenal as Merson Issues Bleak Champions League Warning

Paul Scholes identifies 16-year-old Max Dowman as Arsenal's potential savior after a "workmanlike" Cup Final loss, while Paul Merson predicts a Champions League disaster.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 25, 2026, 6:49 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Football365

A "Victory for Football" at Wembley

The fallout from Sunday’s Carabao Cup final continues to reverberate through North London, with Manchester United legend Paul Scholes labeling Manchester City’s 2-0 win a "victory for football." Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes argued that Pep Guardiola’s side displayed a superior brand of "free-flowing" football compared to a "workmanlike" Arsenal team. The former midfielder suggested that without the creative presence of Eberechi Eze and Martin Odegaard, Mikel Arteta’s squad appeared overly reliant on set-pieces and lacked the necessary flair to break down elite opposition in open play.

Max Dowman: The 16-Year-Old "Season Saver"

In a surprising tactical observation, Scholes pointed to 16-year-old Max Dowman as a potential solution to Arsenal's offensive stagnation. Dowman, who recently became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history, was an unused substitute during the Wembley final—a decision Scholes believes may have cost the Gunners. Scholes argued that the teenager possesses the unpredictable "flair" that the current senior starting XI lacks, suggesting that Dowman might be the individual capable of "saving their season" by providing a creative spark that could reignite their pursuit of the Premier League and Champions League titles.

Merson’s "Dread" Over Potential Barcelona Semi-Final

While Arsenal remains nine points clear at the top of the Premier League, Paul Merson has issued a stark warning regarding their European ambitions. The former Gunners star expressed "dread" at the prospect of Arsenal facing Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals. Merson argued that Mikel Arteta’s current forward line lacks the "electric pace" required to exploit Barcelona’s notoriously high defensive line. He noted that while players like Anthony Elanga and Anthony Gordon caused the Catalan giants problems in earlier rounds, Arsenal’s current attacking configuration may struggle to pose a similar threat.