Emile Smith Rowe says £40m player was his inspiration at Arsenal, then Unai Emery sold him

Add as preferred source on Google

Emile Smith Rowe saw several great players at Arsenal while he was growing up.

The former Hale End star joined the club’s academy when he was just 10 years old. He came through the ranks and became a star in the senior side.

Smith Rowe played with a few great players at Arsenal. From Mesut Ozil to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he rubbed shoulders with world-class footballers.

However, one player he really looked up to in the academy actually didn’t set the stage on fire at the Emirates during his time at the club.

Emile Smith Rowe explains why Alex Iwobi was an inspiration to him at Arsenal

Like Smith Rowe, Alex Iwobi joined Arsenal when he was just a kid.

The Nigeria international played in various different age groups in the academy before making his way to the first team. Arsene Wenger gave him his debut in 2015.

Iwobi went on to play 149 games for Arsenal, scored 15 goals and provided 24 assists. Over a third of those appearances came in his final season at the club under Unai Emery.

In the summer of 2019, Emery gave his blessing for Arsenal to sell Iwobi to Everton in a £40 million deal.

Now, Iwobi is at Fulham and is teammates with Smith Rowe. The latter has heaped praise on him and has explained why he was an inspiration when he was at Arsenal.

He told Sky Sports: “For me, he’s like a legend. Just in terms of looking up to him from the time I’ve been at Arsenal. He kind of started it off for us young players, breaking through to the first team.

“Obviously, he’s still young and can’t be a legend, but for me and young players, he’s inspirational. Off the pitch as well, he’s a really cool guy. It’s good to play with him.”

Iwobi’s stats since leaving Arsenal

When Iwobi played 51 games in the 2018/19 season, some Arsenal fans felt he would be a key player under Emery going forward.

However, the former Arsenal manager decided to get rid of him before the start of the next season – Everton snapped him up in a big money deal. In 2023, Fulham signed him from the Toffees.

Iwobi showed a lot of promise when he was coming through the ranks at Arsenal. Many people viewed him as the future of the Gunners’ attack.

The Nigeria international has failed to live up to that hype, but his versatility has made him a very important player for Fulham now.