‘Sharper than Havertz’… Pundit says Mikel Arteta may want to start 23-year-old now

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Emile Smith Rowe finally got a chance to make an extended cameo for Arsenal in the Premier League at the weekend.

Indeed, after months of watching almost exclusively from the sidelines, Smith Rowe got to have a decent run-out against Palace at the weekend, and, excitingly, he looked very good in the process.

Speaking on the Handbrake Off Podcast, Adrian Clarke has been full of praise for Smith Rowe after his performance against the Eagles, claiming that he actually looked sharper than Kai Havertz during the game, claiming that Mikel Arteta may want to consider starting the 23-year-old for Arsenal from now on.

Arteta may want to start Smith Rowe

Clarke spoke about the England international.

“He looked sharp didn’t he? I thought. Everything he did was good. Pity he didn’t score but he looked bright and he looked I would say marginally sharper than Havertz. I don’t think Havertz had a poor game, everyone played well, but that cameo may have given Mikel Arteta food for thought thinking that if Emile is at that level he’s as good as Havertz and he can offer a bit more in terms of craft in the final third,” Clarke said.

Ain’t broke, don’t fix it

While Smith Rowe may have given Arteta something to think about at the weekend, we really can’t see him getting a start in the Gunners’ next game.

As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and after a 5-0 win against Palace, Mikel Arteta should really stick with what worked at the weekend.

Of course, if Smith Rowe can continue to shine off the bench in the coming weeks, his case will become stronger and stronger, but, whether or not he’s able to do that remains to be seen.

Smith Rowe played well at the weekend and his return to form certainly adds an extra dynamic to this Arsenal squad.