Arsenal academy product Emile Smith Rowe has fixed his stance on leaving Emirates Stadium in the January transfer window amid interest from Aston Villa in his switch.
The 23-year-old has so far had to settle for a seat on manager Mikel Arteta’s bench for much of the season so far. Smith Rowe has only featured in 12 of Arsenal’s 30 fixtures this term for a total of 245 minutes. He has further only started two games amid his latest injury-hit term.
Smith Rowe missed nine of the north London giant’s games across all competitions between November and December with a knee injury. It came as a frustrating blow for the midfielder, having only appeared 14 times for 195 minutes in the 2022/23 term following a groin injury.
Smith Rowe sets his stance on a January transfer away from Arsenal
Yet, despite Arteta’s limited reliance on Smith Rowe so far this season, the Arsenal academy product has no interest in leaving Emirates Stadium. That is according to The Athletic, which reports that the playmaker is not keen to leave his club and intends to fight for a spot there.
Smith Rowe is quietly confident that he is still good enough to play for Arsenal and wants to show it. But the Gunners could force the maestro into rethinking his position in the summer if Arteta continues to overlook him. His sale would go a long way to avoiding any FFP issues.
Arsenal will need to trim Arteta’s team to stay within the Premier League’s and UEFA’s profit and sustainability rules if they want to continue investing in the Spaniard’s side. Smith Rowe, therefore, may be a potentially appealing option as academy products represent pure profit.
Aston Villa retain an interest in signing Hale End hero Smith Rowe
Smith Rowe has also retained interest in the Arsenal ace’s transfer despite his hugely limited involvement under Arteta of late. The three-cap England international proved what he offers over the 2021/22 campaign with 10 goals in 33 Premier League games before injuries struck.
According to Alex Crook, still Aston Villa hold an interest in a transfer from Arsenal for Smith Rowe. Sky Sports claimed back in June 2021 that the Gunners had rejected an improved bid from the Villans of £30m for the Hale Ender. Aston Villa had initially offered £25m that June.
Aston Villa swooped at the time under the management of Dean Smith but have retained an interest under Steven Gerrard and, now, Unai Emery. Smith Rowe also got his senior Arsenal debut in September 2018 under Emery at 18. He played nine times for the coach altogether.
Smith Rowe then showed why Aston Villa targeted his transfer with a standout season under Arteta in the 2021/22 term. Jamie Carragher also called the London-born playmaker ‘special’ in October 2021 after he helped the Gunners beat the Villans 3-1 having pulled their strings.
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