‘Might not get a game now’ – Ferdinand believes Dowman could bench Arsenal star
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Max Dowman could bench Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard in the near future.
It sounds crazy to think about Arsenal’s captain packing his bags, but Ferdinand genuinely believes Odegaard is going to be left frustrated on the sidelines if he stays.
With Dowman emerging as a legitimate wonderkid and the presence of Eberechi Eze already demanding minutes, the competition for that central creative role is suddenly looking ridiculously crowded at Arsenal.
Downman’s emergence could be an issue for Odegaard
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand didn’t hold back on his assessment of the Gunners’ midfield traffic jam.
“You know, Odegaard might not get a game now,” he stated.
“Seriously, your captain might be gone. You’ve got Dowman who can play his position, Eze can play his position. Saka can play his position and go in there and go central. It’s mad.”
When you look at the current numbers, you can start to see why Rio is leaning this way. By his own incredibly high standards, it’s been a tough, stop-start 2025/26 campaign for Odegaard.
Hampered by injuries, the Norwegian playmaker has only managed 1 goal and 5 assists in 20 Premier League appearances so far this season.
One of the most interesting takeaways from Ferdinand’s comments was his bold prediction about Bukayo Saka.
If Dowman and Eze are fighting for minutes, Ferdinand suggested Saka could occasionally drift centrally to add to the chaos.
More importantly, Rio confidently backed the Arsenal winger to completely explode next year after a relatively quiet current campaign.
Statistically, Saka hasn’t hit his usual heights this season, registering 6 goals and 3 assists in 27 Premier League outings to date.
Ferdinand backs Saka to perform for Arsenal next season
“Saka will have a bigger season next year than he does this year, trust me, stats-wise and data-wise,” Ferdinand added.
“This year he’s been down.”
If Ferdinand is right, Arsenal fans need to brace themselves for a dramatic transfer window.
Dowman’s historic strike against Everton might eventually go down as the moment the torch was officially passed.
Having too much talent is a brilliant problem for Arteta to have, but fitting Dowman, Eze, Saka, and Odegaard into the same system is a puzzle that might only be solved by a shock summer exit.
From Italy: Arsenal & Man United handed significant transfer boost after surprise development
The post ‘Might not get a game now’ – Ferdinand believes Dowman could bench Arsenal star appeared first on CaughtOffside.