‘Superb’ Arsenal star refuses to accept transfer situation as Premier League rivals lurk

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Emile Smith Rowe refuses to accept that his Arsenal career will end this summer, amid interest from Premier League rivals Aston Villa and West Ham United over his transfer.

The 23-year-old spent yet another match as an unused substitute as Arsenal sealed their 2-1 win over Brentford on Saturday. It marked the 11th time this term that boss Mikel Arteta has left Smith Rowe on his bench from a potential 21 Premier League games, yielding two starts.

Injury problems have once again thwarted Smith Rowe’s attempts to regain a pivotal role for the north London giants. He has missed 10 of their 39 matches across all competitions so far this term. All in all, the midfielder has played just 357 minutes with 114 also coming in 2024.

Smith Rowe wants to change Arteta’s mind at Arsenal

Yet despite Arteta’s limited faith, especially in this calendar year, Smith Rowe still believes he has a future for Arsenal. That is according to Ben Jacobs, who reports that the Hale End hero wants to change Arteta’s mind and get more minutes as the maestro still feels he is valuable.

Smith Rowe does not see any writing on the wall to suggest his career at Arsenal is done and dusted. Instead, he hopes to use their remaining games to force a route back into Arteta’s XI this season. The Gunners boss also still values the depth that the playmaker brings whilst fit.

Aston Villa and West Ham study Smith Rowe’s transfer

Smith Rowe, who Arteta has called ‘superb’ in the past, has suitors in the Premier League for this summer, though. Dean Jones reports that Aston Villa and West Ham still hold their long-standing interest in a transfer. Arsenal are also not opposed to selling the academy graduate.

Arteta wants to strengthen their squad in the summer, so Arsenal will consider Smith Rowe’s transfer. Gunners chiefs believe he can generate a decent fee, despite rarely featuring during recent fixtures. Arsenal demanded £60m for Smith Rowe’s transfer in January, per TEAMtalk.

A continued spot on Arteta’s bench over the remainder of the season may force Smith Rowe to reconsider his reluctance to accept a transfer away from Arsenal. But, for now, his focus is on regaining Arteta’s trust ahead of Arsenal hosting FC Porto in a key Champions League tie.