Arsenal have now made the tough decision to part ways with Emile Smith Rowe, with the midfielder moving to Fulham.
The total package for Smith Rowe is around £34m including addons, and the Englishman has now completed his move.
Smith Rowe penned an emotional farewell after his exit, with his Arsenal teammates clearly sad about his departure, and whilst fans accept that this is the right decision, the 24-year-old was a very popular player having been at the club since he was 10.
The midfielder had a huge impact when he first broke into the Arsenal team, and he even helped save Mikel Arteta when his side were at their lowest point, and Smith Rowe had plenty of memorable moments in his Arsenal career.
Emile Smith Rowe’s memorable goal against West Ham
Arsenal recovered from a disastrous start to the 2021-22 season and started to show glimpses of the team they would become.
Smith Rowe was a huge part of this, with his performances in midfield and on the left wing standing out, and Arsenal’s win over West Ham in December 2021 was a highlight.
The Emirates Stadium was rocking as Arsenal went 1-0 up through Gabriel Martinelli, but tension was high after Alexandre Lacazette missed a penalty.
However, an 87th minute strike from Smith Rowe secured the three points. He broke through the midfield with his exceptional speed and ball-control, before powering a weak-footed strike into the bottom corner, with one of his finest goals.
Emile Smith Rowe’s final goal for Arsenal came at the right time against Chelsea
April 2022 saw Arsenal travel to face Chelsea after three straight defeats as they battled for a top four spot, and the chances of a victory were slim.
However, a brace from Eddie Nketiah, as well as goals from Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, secured a dramatic 4-2 victory, and Smith Rowe’s strike particularly stood out.
Arsenal built up an excellent team move after Granit Xhaka dribbled the ball out, and Smith Rowe found the bottom corner with an outstanding finish. Little did he know at the time, that this would be the last goal he scored in Arsenal colours.
Emile Smith Rowe saved Mikel Arteta’s job and sparked Arsenal revival
Arsenal were on a run of seven games without a win heading into a game against Chelsea on Boxing Day in 2020.
Arteta’s side looked down and out, and the manager was under serious pressure, as his side had scored just one open play goal in that time.
Arsenal had no creative midfielder to glue everything together, until Smith Rowe came in for what was just his second-ever Premier League start. Arsenal suddenly looked transformed with him in the middle joining the midfield and attack, and recorded a 3-1 win.
This was the start of Arsenal’s revival, and had Smith Rowe not come into the side to give everyone fresh hope, Arteta may not have survived in his job for much longer.
Emile Smith Rowe’s Derby Day delight
In September 2021, Arsenal were again under pressure after two wins in their opening five games, as they headed into a crunch North London derby match at the Emirates.
Arteta’s young side knew that they could not afford to lose to Tottenham Hotspur at home, and they came out fighting.
Saka crossed into the box after some fine work on the wing, and Smith Rowe nipped in to finish to give his side an early lead.
A boyhood Gunner, the midfielder had injected new life into Arsenal when they needed it, again, and he acheived the dream of every fan by scoring in the derby.
It was a goal made in Hale End, in one of the most important victories under Arteta, and the Arsenal fans were jubilant, as their song about both Saka and Smith Rowe rang around the ground, and he would then assist Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal to double the lead just minutes later.
This game was the crowning moment for Smith Rowe at Arsenal. He and Saka had injected new optimisim into a fanbase which was otherwise lacking in it, and by scoring in a victory against Tottenham, Smith Rowe wrote himself into the history books as an Arsenal hero.
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