Emile Smith Rowe (Getty Images)
According to Football.London, Arsenal are planning to integrate highly-rated academy prospect Emile Smith Rowe into the first-team set-up at the Emirates next season after a successful loan spell for the youngster last term.
The 20-year-old impressed on loan at Huddersfield Town during the second half of the 2019-20 Championship campaign and the Gunners believe he’s ready to play a prominent role in the first-team moving forward. (h/t Football.London)
As per the report, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta believes Smith Rowe’s development would be best served by staying put in North London rather than venturing out on loan to a different club, with several Premier League sides believed to be interested in signing the midfielder on a temporary basis.
Born in Croydon, Emile Smith Rowe rose through the youth ranks at Arsenal and was called up to the senior side during the 2018 pre-season after impressing for the U-23s.
Smith Rowe made his Arsenal first-team competitive debut against Vorskla Poltava in the UEFA Europa League, and in doing so, became the first professional debutant for the Gunners to be born in the 2000s. He subsequently scored against Qarabag in the Europa League and against Blackpool in the EFL Cup before joining RB Leipzig on loan in January 2019.
The youngster struggled with injuries during his short stint in Germany but he featured prominently for the Gunners in the 2019-20 Europa League following his return to North London. Smith Rowe bagged 2 goals and 2 assists in 19 Championship appearances on loan for Huddersfield Town during the second half of this past season.
As per the report, both Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy view Smith Rowe as the club’s next long-term No.10, while there is also a feeling that the 20-year-old has the versatility to slot seamlessly into a box-to-box No.8 attacking role in a 4-3-3 system.
Such a formation is expected to be Arteta’s base formation at the Emirates in the coming days. With Mesut Ozil’s career currently on the decline, the door pretty much remains open for Smith Rowe to cement his place in the manager’s plans.
Smith Rowe’s versatility means he’d have to compete with fellow academy graduates Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock, as well as the likes of Nicolas Pepe and youngster Gabriel Martinelli for his place in the ranks. That seems a bit tough on paper but Smith Rowe certainly has the talent to do so.
The Gunners might also view Smith Rowe as an alternative to Ceballos in a 4-3-3 system, with a permanent transfer for last season’s loanee yet to be agreed with Real Madrid.
Smith Rowe might not have featured prominently for the Gunners in the Premier League but his dazzling displays in the Europa League and also on loan at Huddersfield lie testament to his massive potential.
Of course, he might get more minutes under his belt if he goes out on loan but staying at Arsenal will allow him to acclimatise to the competitive nature of the Premier League, while also giving Arteta a chance to monitor his development at close quarters.