Dowman scores twice as Arsenal beat Ipswich 4-2 in Carabao Cup; Arteta urges caution
Max Dowman scored twice as Arsenal defeated Ipswich Town 4-2 at Portman Road in a Carabao Cup tie on 15 September 2026, but manager Mikel Arteta warned the club must be cautious over the 16-year-old’s development.
Dowman is the third 16-year-old to score for Arsenal in a League Cup game. He played 13 times last season but had been limited to bench duties so far this campaign before being handed a start at Portman Road, where he struck twice to press his case for more Premier League minutes.
His first was a fine solo run that left defenders behind before he slotted home, and he showed composure to place his second into the bottom corner. "Unbelievable, he's unpredictable, he can go either way, so fluid, so nice to watch," said Arteta about Dowman's performance.
Arteta also stressed the need for careful management of the teenager: "He is 16 years old and we have to be really cautious. "We don't want to stop him, we don't want to put the brakes on him, we need to develop him and we are fully aware what he needs. He will have opportunities."
Reflecting on the broader demands placed on young players, Arteta added: "With the demands that we put in them, to be able to do that is extremely difficult and he's coping better and better and better," and said: "It's not easy [to contain the hype], I understand, but what we have to do is look after him. He's 16 years old. You don't see that in this league. "In other leagues in Europe, that's a totally different context, but in this league, with the demands that the league has, the players and everything put on you, we really need to make sure every time we throw him in, he's in the right context with the right preparation."
Dowman's breakthrough last season included several age-related firsts: he became the youngest Champions League player ever aged 15, Arsenal's youngest ever starter and the Premier League's youngest starter, goalscorer and title winner. In 13 appearances in all competitions last season he scored once — against Everton to make a win safe during the title run-in — a strike that was voted Arsenal's goal of the season; he completed his GCSEs at Brentwood School in the summer and left school to focus on football.
Pundits and team-mates offered praise alongside the calls for patience. Jamie Redknapp said: "He is a wonderful player who will be able to do everything in the game. "But just give him time and how they are handling him is perfect. What you don't want to do is not give him the amount of game time he needs. He is an elite player." Team-mate Mikel Merino told BBC Radio 5 Live: "He's an unbelievable talent... He will be a star in the future if he keeps his eyes and ears open and keeps learning. "He's just 16 so he needs a lot of coaching, especially tactically. But I can't take anything away from him. He's always keen to learn. We'll keep helping him." Former England defender Conor Coady added on Sky Sports: "He is a real superstar... A 16-year-old boy should not be doing this. He has got no better manager than Arteta to look after him. You want him to be looked after properly. If he plays every game at this age, he won't be scoring goals like this."
There has been wider discussion of his potential international prospects, with the article noting: "Quite possibly the best 16-year-old in the world, it is not unthinkable that he could earn his way into England's Euro 2028 thinking. In fact there was even a debate about whether he should be going to the World Cup earlier this year."
Arsenal have won all seven games this season across four competitions; Dowman had been an unused substitute in four of those matches and not involved in the other two before playing all 90 minutes against Ipswich Town. The Gunners have selected the same attacking quartet in each league game so far — Bukayo Saka, Christos Tzolis, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz.
It also emerged that highly rated 15-year-old striker JJ Gabriel is on the verge of leaving Manchester United; Gabriel had been expected to make his debut in Wednesday's Carabao Cup tie with Brighton, which would probably have denied him the chance to alter the stat that the three youngest players to score in the League Cup for a Premier League side all did so for Arsenal: Cesc Fabregas (16y 212d v Wolves, 2003), Dowman (16y 258d v Ipswich) and Jack Wilshere (16y 266d v Sheffield United, 2008).
