According to reports, Emile Smith Rowe is set to join Fulham for a fee in the region of £35 million.
The Arsenal and England midfielder has seen himself fall starkly out of favour in Mikel Arteta’s team. Emile Smith Rowe made zero Premier League starts in 2022/2023, and just three in 2023/2024.
Emile Smith Rowe has injuries to blame for this, but the Arsenal team has also transformed around him.
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When he burst onto the scene, Arsenal were 15th with 15 games played. He, along with Bukayo Saka, provided the team with a desperately needed spark.
The pair appeared destined to rise through the ranks together, the fans even sang a song about it. The day they both scored in the North London Derby to their own boyish delight will never be forgotten. As romantic as football is, though, it’s easy to forget it can be romantic in a sad way as well.
This is how things transpired for Smith Rowe, who underwent groin surgery to address a long-standing issue.
By the time he returned to fitness, Arsenal were no longer languishing in 15th and in need of a spark. They were in the midst of a surprise title challenge, and sparking just fine without him. Gradually, Smith Rowe’s Arsenal destiny became apparent.
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Opportunities to play Smith Rowe became fewer and fewer as Arsenal found themselves playing high stakes games all the time. However, if Mikel Arteta believed him, he would have played more. Arteta has never thought Smith Rowe was ready and despite his availability for all of last season, he still didn’t play.
A move to a team like Fulham makes sense. He’ll get opportunities to play, which at 24, he badly needs. There is definitely a marvellous player in there somewhere, he just needs to be unlocked.
