‘Big chance’: Mikel Arteta confirms 23-year-old will play for Arsenal tonight

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Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe is finally set to receive his chance, as Mikel Arteta has confirmed he will start in the Carabao Cup tonight.

The 23-year-old has hardly featured for Arsenal this season, making just two late substitute appearances, and was linked with an exit during the summer window amidst his lack of opportunities.

Smith Rowe is a popular figure at the Emirates, and was given an excellent reception by the Arsenal fans when he came on for his first appearance of the season against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League.

Speaking to Football.London yesterday, Arteta has now claimed that Smith Rowe has a great chance to prove himself tonight in the League Cup tie at Brentford.

“There’s been many reasons why he hasn’t started a match,” Arteta stated.

“He was out for a long, long time. He had a sequence of matches that he played with the national team, then he came in and didn’t participate.

“In the last two matches he’s played more minutes and tomorrow he will have a big chance to show that he can play at this level and be a really important player for us.”

A long-awaited chance

Astonishingly, Smith Rowe has not started a game for Arsenal since May 2022, in a defeat away to Newcastle, 499 days ago.

He was absent for most of last season following surgery, and despite returning towards the end of the season, he was far from full fitness.

The England international looked sharp during pre-season, but was still unable to get on the pitch in recent weeks given Arsenal’s depth.

Now that Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard are injured, with Kai Havertz also struggling for form, he has a chance to earn his place in the starting XI. If he can impress against Brentford, he will hope to keep his place for Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth in the Premier League.