Arsenal will have a busy summer of both signings and departures. After their best season since Arsene Wenger left the club, manager Mikel Arteta knows who he wants to keep, sell and sign. While these plans don’t always go to plan, Arteta is not the type to rest on his laurels.
One player that has their future under contention is Emile Smith Rowe. The Hale End graduate who is quite comically lauded as “The Croydon De Bruyne” didn’t start in any competition under Mikel Arteta this season. Granted, he was injured until the second half of the season.
This leads many to believe the midfielder who was one of Arsenal’s better players last season might be sold this summer. He is of course capable of starting a game in this Arsenal team, so the fact that he hasn’t could entail that Mikel Arteta holds a personal vendetta against him or that he no longer fits into the system.
Arsenal want to keep Emile Smith Rowe
But this couldn’t be further from the truth, if reports from The Athletic are to be believed. The platform which operates behind a paywall has indicated that Arsenal do not want to sell Emile Smith Rowe this summer. Instead, Smith Rowe remains an important part of Mikel Arteta’s future plan.
Under contract until 2026, the Gunners have no reason to sell Emile Smith Rowe. Given their lack of midfield options and rumours they could lose more this summer, to sell Smith Rowe doesn’t make much sense when you look at it logistically.
Smith Rowe is 22 years old, so the upcoming season is truly make of break for him. Having proved he can be an important player to this team last season, this season can be written off as a blip caused by injury and the intensity of every Arsenal fixture. Next season, he should really push to be a regular in the first team.
Do you think Arsenal have made the right decision to keep Emile Smith Rowe?