Arsenal: Emile Smith-Rowe now in 'impossible' situation at the Emirates

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·26 September 2023

Arsenal: Emile Smith-Rowe now in 'impossible' situation at the Emirates

Highlights

Emile Smith Rowe's future at Arsenal is uncertain, with talk of him being allowed to leave in the near future.
Despite Arsenal's commitment to keeping him, Smith Rowe's game time looks limited, making it difficult for him to play a crucial role in the team.
Clubs like Aston Villa and Chelsea have shown interest in Smith Rowe, but Arsenal have rejected offers and want to keep him. However, this season may be make-or-break for him.

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Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe now faces an uncertain future at the Emirates Stadium, with transfer insider Dean Jones suggesting to GIVEMESPORT which direction he should push his career towards.

Smith Rowe has spent his entire professional life contracted to Arsenal, but there is talk of him being allowed to leave in the not-too-distant future.

Arsenal transfer news - Emile Smith Rowe

There's a sense of after the Lord Mayor's show with Arsenal this season following on from their exploits in the previous campaign. Having come so close to lifting the Premier League for the first time in two decades, the Gunners ultimately fell short to eventual champions and treble winners Manchester City.

It was a bittersweet end to the campaign for Arsenal, who had started the campaign eyeing up a spot in the Champions League places, but given their status as title contenders for the majority of the season, their eventual top-four finish didn't render as much adulation as it would've done pre-season.

And following into this season, there has been an uncharacteristic-disjointed nature with how the Gunners have performed. Narrow wins against Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Everton haven't done much to inspire the Arsenal faithful into believing they can be title challengers again, while Mikel Arteta's side have already dropped points at home in the league twice.

The brightest performance of the Arsenal campaign so far came in the competition they'd worked so hard to qualify for, with the north Londoners waltzing to a 4-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven in their opening Champions League group stage match. With a real shot of going far in the competition, Arteta will have to hope his squad players are able to perform to the highest of levels, should they wish to succeed. And one of those players on the peripheries of the squad is Smith Rowe himself.

What has Dean Jones said about Emile Smith Rowe and Arsenal?

Reacting to Smith Rowe's 20-minute cameo against PSV, transfer insider Jones admitted it could be a long season for the Englishman, given his rank on the Arsenal roster. The reliable reporter suggested that even though Arteta and Co. fought hard to keep him at the club this summer, the midfielder's game time still looks limited, meaning any chance of playing a crucial role in the team is likely to be slim:

"It's a fantastic moment for the player himself and also for the fans to welcome him back and give him the confidence that he's going to need going forward. “It's been a tough 18 months for Smith Rowe and it's not going to get that much easier, because you look at what he's got to do now to actually get into this team. I have to say it does look nigh on impossible at the moment. “Whichever position he looks to take out, whether it's one out wide, or in the centre of the pitch, he’s got at least three or four players ahead of him in the pecking order. So you're wondering, over the course of the season, how he can actually get back into this team, because in order to get back into form, he needs game time and 20 minutes here and there isn't really going to cut it for him.”

Which clubs have been trying to sign Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal?

Smith Rowe has been in the transfer headlines for some time, with speculation linking him to a move away from the Emirates Stadium starting all the way back in the summer of 2021. Having sold Jack Grealish to Man City, Aston Villa were on the lookout for a creative midfielder to replace him with, but the Villans were unsuccessful in their pursuit to sign Smith Rowe.

It was reported that the West Midlands outfit tabled a bid in the region of £30 million, which was swiftly rejected by the Arsenal hierarchy. Smith Rowe would play a crucial role in the Arsenal side that season, making 21 starts in the Premier League and featuring 37 times for the Gunners across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

However, an injury-stricken campaign last time around would see Smith Rowe fall down the pecking order at Arsenal, with the Croydon-born star reduced to just 12 appearances in the Premier League instead.

As a result, it had been suggested that Smith Rowe could be on the move during the recent summer transfer window, but once again rumours of a switch were shut down. The Daily Mirror had reported that Chelsea, whose policy of signing young English talents eventually led them to Cole Palmer, were keen on Smith Rowe's signature, but Arsenal were not keen to entertain a sale.

Despite the show of commitment from Arsenal, there is still an overwhelming feeling that this could be a make-or-break season for the 23-year-old. Should his minutes fail to match his perceived quality, then Arsenal could find it difficult to persuade the £30 million-rated star that sticking around again next season is the right thing to do.