Since leaving Arsenal in the summer, Emile Smith Rowe has now played 821 minutes at Fulham, scoring three goals and providing two assists in the Premier League.
Smith Rowe has proved his fitness as well as his quality at Fulham, proving he made the best choice for his career after leaving Arsenal.
Of course, some Arsenal fans aren’t happy that Smith Rowe left in the summer – the move is already being highlighted as a mistake by Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar.
That being said, the 24-year-old was the inspiration behind Fulham’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, a result which took the away side up to seventh in the table.
Smith Rowe scored the opening goal after some clever pressing and a delightful finish – one that Marco Silva was overjoyed with.
Marco Silva says Emile Smith Rowe is already a ‘top player’
The Fulham manager spoke to Match of the Day after the game and essentially explained why Arsenal will regret selling Smith Rowe, a player he was surprised to sign.
Silva celebrated Smith Rowe’s creativity in the pocket, something that’s been seriously lacking at the Emirates Stadium of late.
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Silva said: “Sometimes the most expensive ones are the players that don’t perform.
“When you saw him and we had a small chance to fight to have him here, I told our board that we need to fight with everything we can because we needed a player like him.
“Creative in those pocket areas, a player who will score more throughout the season – I don’t have doubts – he’s a lovely kid, a lovely boy who is going to become a man and improve.
“He’s already a really good player, he’s going to be a top player. It’s so nice to have a talent like him to work with.”
Mikel Arteta said he was ‘really sad’ to see Emile Smith Rowe leave Arsenal
Of course, it’s now pertinent to reflect on Arteta’s comments shortly after he sanctioned Smith Rowe’s move to Fulham.
Arteta says he was ‘really sad’ to see the midfield maverick leave – someone who helped galvanise Arsenal as a club during a difficult period.
Arteta said: “First of all because I have huge gratitude because he came into the team at a tough moment.
“I think he was the player that made our supporters and the team click, in a way. I don’t know how to explain it but that was my feeling. Something changed when he came in the team. He created a different energy straight away.
“And I have a feeling like ‘argh’, that I have not got the best out of him. Obviously a lot of things happened in that time.
“From my side it was really sad, because I know how those boys feel when they are in that building, how hard everyone works to get them close to the first team, so I feel a huge responsibility to give them the chance. And now, can they sustain this level and make us better? That is the idea.”
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