‘Big fan’… TalkSPORT pundit now urges Mikel Arteta to start ‘terrific’ Arsenal player more often

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Tony Cascarino has urged Mikel Arteta to hand Emile Smith Rowe an opportunity in the Arsenal side.

Emile Smith Rowe has struggled for minutes at Arsenal over the past 18 months after falling down the pecking order under Mikel Arteta.

The Englishman was a key man during the 2021-22 campaign, racking up a total of 33 Premier League appearances and netting 10 times.

But Smith Rowe has only made 18 appearances in the league since the start of last season, with many coming from the bench.

There have been suggestions that Arsenal could be ready to cash in on Smith Rowe, with Aston Villa reportedly keen.

But Tony Cascarino wants to see the Hale End Academy product given a fresh opportunity under Arteta.

Cascarino urges Arteta to hand Smith Rowe more minutes

Speaking on talkSPORT, the pundit admitted that he believed Smith Rowe would develop into a top player after breaking into the Arsenal side. 

But Cascarino feels the midfielder has found opportunities hard to come by recently due to injuries.

“I looked at Smith Rowe at Arsenal and I thought he was going to be a terrific player,” Cascarino said. “And he is a terrific player, got loads of ability.

“He gets in the team, does really well, comes out of the team because of injury, comes back not quite the same, he’s been battling ever since to get back in the team.

“I’d love to see Smith Rowe now because he’s not been playing, he’s not probably in the best peak condition he can be in because he’s not played enough football.

“And I’m a big fan of his, I’ve watched him from a young kid and watched him progress, there’s a real player there and sometimes you lose your way by being left out.”

Smith Rowe missed a total of 14 games last term after picking up a groin injury early in the season.

The 23-year-old also picked up a knee injury in November this season but returned to action at the start of December.

While Smith Rowe has been slightly unfortunate when it comes to injuries, his lack of minutes isn’t just down to his fitness.

Even when the midfielder has been available, Arteta has shown he prefers other options in the middle of the park.

There may come a point where Smith Rowe feels he has to move on in search of regular first-team football.

It’s quite telling that Smith Rowe hasn’t been handed a real opportunity this term and in our view, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him seek out a fresh challenge over the coming months.