Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta apparently has a lot of faith in Emile Smith Rowe despite what was a very difficult campaign for the youngster.
The Gunners are on the market for a new midfielder this summer. They have been linked with plenty of names, which has in turn resulted in rumours claiming Smith Rowe could be sold.
However, Dean Jones has claimed on GiveMeSport that he expects the Englishman to stay at Arsenal because he has been working on his game with Arteta behind the scenes.
Mikel Arteta thinks Emile Smith Rowe could be the ‘driving force’ in Arsenal’s midfield
Emile Smith Rowe was one of Arsenal’s best players in the 2021/22 campaign, and a lot was expected of him at the start of last season.
However, injury issues ruined the Englishman’s campaign.
The 22-year-old was given just over 160 minutes of football in the Premier League. Even after he recovered from his injury, he wasn’t handed opportunities to prove himself again.
That struck fear in Arsenal fans’ hearts that Smith Rowe could be sold this summer, but Jones has revealed that will not be the case now.
He said: “Smith Rowe’s been working on his game with Arteta. He’s a really good learner I’m told, and he’s got very adaptable in terms of what Arteta would like from him going forward.
“He can play wide. They also feel like he could be a driving force out of midfield at times if they need him to be that, so I think Smith Rowe can actually still remain as a really valuable asset for Arsenal.”
TBR View:
Arsenal shouldn’t even consider selling Smith Rowe.
Yes. the Englishman barely played last season and even when he did, he looked nothing like the player we saw in the previous campaign.
But, he’s still only 22 and everyone knows that the talent is there. He has the potential to become a superstar for Arsenal and England in a few years’ time, and he could really get back to his best again soon.
It will be interesting to see where Arteta will use Smith Rowe next season.
