Arsenal have been on the rise under manager Mikel Arteta, who returned to his former stomping ground as a player in December 2019 and has since taken the Emirates Stadium to the forefront of Europe.
Despite falling short to Manchester City in successive Premier League seasons, Arsenal are one of the finest teams English football has seen in a long time, playing with panache and gusto and truly looking like a wrecking ball that will continue to swing for years to come.
Arsenal is littered with talent. Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, William Saliba and Martin Odegaard are some of the finest players in their position in the world, while the likes of Ben White, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes have gone from strength to strength under Arteta’s guiding wing.
But an unfortunate by-product of exponential growth is that certain cogs get left behind. This is within the very nature of collective evolution in football: high-class additions leave some existing options knocked down the pecking order.
One such player is Emile Smith Rowe, who’s looking likely to leave his boyhood club this summer.
The latest on Emile Smith Rowe
According to Football Insider, Arsenal are looking to offload several fringe stars to fund several ambitious transfer moves, and Smith Rowe has thus been transfer-listed for £30m.
He’s not the only Hale End product expected to leave, Reiss Nelson has recently informed Edu Gaspar of his intention to seek a new challenge, but Smith Rowe would be the highest-profile departure.
Sadly, it makes a lot of sense and must happen.
Why Emile Smith Rowe must be sold
Smith Rowe caused something of a storm when bursting onto the scene at Arsenal, fuelled by a promising loan spell in the Championship with Huddersfield.
Despite enjoying great success during the 2021/22 campaign – netting ten top-flight goals – he has since suffered from injuries that have kept him on the fringe as Arsenal skyrocketed. Opportunities have since been few and far between and the 23-year-old, who has two years left on his contract, must now move for the good of his career.
Smith Rowe’s homegrown status means that Arsenal would cash in for pure profit – and £30m would be a welcome sum as Arteta seeks to address areas in midfield and at centre-forward.
On that note, with Arsenal looking to sign a striker this summer, Havertz might find himself deployed back in a deeper role, in an advanced, dynamic midfield position.
Signed from Chelsea for £65m last summer, the Germany star initially flattered to deceive but finished the campaign strongly, praised for his “magnificent” performances by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
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Kai Havertz: Arsenal Premier League Stats |
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Starts |
Goals |
Assists |
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First 23 games |
16 |
4 |
1 |
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Final 14 games |
14 |
9 |
6 |
The 25-year-old has translated his fine form to the international stage, scoring and assisting as Germany trounced Scotland in the Euro 2024 opener, starting up front but often dipping deeper to knit Julian Nagelsmann’s team together.
Ranking among the top 20% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for pass completion and the top 14% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, he has the skills to retain his level of performance in a deeper role for Arsenal once again.
Unfortunately for Smith Rowe, this only compounds his peripheral role in the London side, and furthers the argument that he should search for a new start to produce the performances all Gunners know lie within his locker.
Back in 2021, Aston Villa offered Arsenal £30m for Smith Rowe’s signature. Rejected. But now, teams like Villa have an opening to sign a truly talented player, who has been called “special” by pundit Jamie Carragher.
For Arsenal, given the success of players such as Havertz, Smith Rowe must definitely be sold, lest he sink further into the abyss, unable to showcase his skills.
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It’s time for the Gunners to move on from the talented player.