Arsenal are not interested in negotiating the departure of their 22-year-old attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe.
According to Pete O’Rourke via Football Insider, Mikel Arteta is keen on having Emile Smith Rowe in his squad for next season despite the imminent arrival of Kai Havertz. Arsenal consider him an important part of their future and want him at the club for years to come.
Smith Rowe has been a part of the Arsenal setup since his childhood days. He has come up the ranks at the club and was promoted to their first team back in the summer of 2020. While the 22-year-old managed to break into the first team three years back, he is yet to establish himself as a regular starter.
After being promoted to their first team, the English international went from strength to strength. He managed to put in some impressive performances. And, racked up over 2,000 minutes in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons.
However, the recently-concluded season did not go according to plan for the English midfielder. He couldn’t even manage to accumulate over 200 minutes of first-team football. While injuries did play their part, Arteta didn’t really give him the opportunities that he wanted.
Despite having a contract until the summer of 2026, his lack of game time resulted in a lot of interest from elsewhere. There are quite a few clubs keen on having the 22-year-old in their ranks but Arsenal are not looking to sell him.
They want him at the club next season despite all the signings that they are looking to make. Kai Havertz and Declan Rice will soon be announced as new Arsenal players, and they are even pushing for the services of Arda Guler.
Even if they manage to land Guler alongside Rice and Havertz, Mikel Arteta is still keen on having the 22-year-old in his squad. The Spanish manager is a big fan of the England Under-21 star and believes he could provide them with the much-needed depth to be competitive in both the Champions League and Premier League.
Also Read: An aggressive Arsenal can win the transfer window
Arsenal struggled towards the end of last season due to a lack of depth and ended up missing out on the league title. Arteta wants to ensure that they avoid any such situation next season and is keen on having Smith Rowe in his ranks.
