No matter how bad and disappointing Arsenal’s season has been so far, there’s at least one thing about their season that they can look back to and say: Hey, that was a positive.
I’m talking about Emile Smith-Rowe and how he has turned into one of Arsenal’s most important players.
He’s been great for the majority of the time he’s played for the first team.
Things were running ever so smoothly when he had just broken into the first team. He was the one starting every single attack for the Gunners and he was the one finishing them from time to time as well. The hype has died down a little bit, but he still is important for the team.
And so, according to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have been working since March to get Emile Smith-Rowe to sign a contract extension with the club. The player, according to the journalist, is happy and open to staying at the club. The club is “optimistic” about the deal.
Arsenal are working since March to extend Emile Smith-Rowe’s contract, there’s ‘optimism’ to complete the agreement soon. The player is happy and open to stay - five years contract on the table. ⚪️🔴 #AFC #Arsenal https://t.co/0oLWSdBGFP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 13, 2021
Does it make sense from Arsenal’s point of view? What about from that of Smith-Rowe?
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Okay, from Arsenal’s point of view: One hundred per cent. They definitely need players like Smith Rowe at their club. They have been lacking talented youngsters (except for a few, of course) for quite some time and having a guy like Smith-Rowe makes things a lot better for them.
He’s obviously a great talent, is eager to learn and improve and will no doubt improve this Arsenal team in both the short and the long run.
The thing that I’m not so sure about, is whether it’s a great decision from Smith-Rowe himself.
As I said, he’s a great player that has usually been in good moments, but the same thing cannot be said for the club he plays for. Arsenal are in a state of turmoil right now, and they need to spend big on players in the summer.
It’s a slow process but it will definitely work if the right signings are made, and the club allows the manager to make the signings he wants, rather than keeping him under a tight budget — something that Arsenal are known for as of recent seasons.
Of course, I’m not even sure if Mikel Arteta is the right fit for the club. But, the only way to find that out is by allowing him to use the wallet, and try to get the club back into European contention.
Coming back to Smith-Rowe — committing his future with a club that doesn’t have a proper project is very risky. There would obviously be many clubs that would be interested in buying him. If Smith-Rowe ends up signing the contract and things change for the better, excellent.
If not, then I don’t think he’d want to eventually regret spending his crucial years at a club that doesn’t really challenge for many trophies.