According to journalist Charles Watts, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has decided not to sell midfield prodigy Emile Smith Rowe and will give him opportunities next season.
Who might depart from Arsenal this summer?
Following their narrow loss in the title race last season, sporting director Edu has already signed a number of high-profile additions to Arteta’s squad for the Gunners this summer.
Along with signing agreements to acquire German international Kai Havertz, Arsenal also signed agreements to acquire Jurrien Timber from Ajax and Declan Rice for a £105 million club record.
Despite having already spent close to £200 million, there are rumours that Arsenal may still add players to their roster. Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia is reportedly on their radar.
Nevertheless, with the recent signing of Granit Xhaka by Bayer Leverkusen, some players will need to be replaced in order to balance the books. Along with other players, midfielder Smith Rowe has also been mentioned as a possible exit candidate for Arsenal. Thomas Partey has also been mentioned as a possible exit candidate.
According to an update on the latter player’s future provided by reporter Watts, Arteta now has no plans to let the 22-year-old leave the team. Instead, Watts claims the player will be given a chance to play next season.
Watts said to TEAMtalk that “He’s definitely not on the Arsenal scrapheap.”
He has been told by Mikel Arteta that he wants him to stay. Going into the summer, I believe I believed there was a good chance he could go. But based on all indications, they want him to stay and will give him a chance, which I’m really happy about.
“We all tend to forget how talented Emile Smith Rowe is and was before he became well-known. He has obviously been severely hampered by injuries, but he still has so much to offer. He plays the game so well. He can finish and is extremely intelligent and technically proficient. And he possesses all the qualities necessary to succeed in this Arsenal team.
“I believe that Arteta’s rotation of his team last season was one of his major mistakes. There were numerous chances, particularly in the second half of the previous season when Smith Rowe was healthy. He had the chance to start playing more and put pressure on the first team players ahead of him. But he simply chose not to. Simply put, he didn’t take him off the bench or give him the necessary game time.
Therefore, I just wish that this season would be different and that he would give him some playing time to try and wow because he is a very talented player. I believe that many people have forgotten how talented he is. He’s really special, in my opinion.
Emile Smith Rowe: how good is he?
The Englishman thoroughly impressed under Arteta when given the chance prior to his unfortunate 2022–2023 campaign.
Smith Rowe participated in 20 league games during the 21/22 season and, according to WhoScored, was among Arsenal’s top eight performers in terms of average match rating.
The attacking midfielder managed to match Martin Odegaard’s rate of successful key passes per 90 in the final third that season, contributing two goals and four assists.
There is undoubtedly a creative asset there, and Smith Rowe ought to be given a chance, in our opinion.
