Emile Smith Rowe’s Arsenal future has been decided

Robin Bairner

• 29 Apr 2023 12:17 BST
• 3 min read

Emile Smith Rowe is destined to leave Arsenal this summer, with a string of reasons pushing the Hale End graduate out of the club.

Having netted 11 times last season – a tally only surpassed at the club by Bukayo Saka – Smith Rowe has endured a thoroughly frustrating season.

Remarkably, he has not started a single game in any competition this season, while his most meaningful game time for Arsenal came when he was substituted as a substitute in the 3-2 win over Bournemouth with the Gunners 2-1 down when he departed. He only left that game due to a knock, however, and did get an assist.

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Manager Mikel Arteta continues to publicly back the midfielder, who will turn 23 in the summer, but having become so peripheral for the Gunners, it looks difficult for him to find a way back into the team.

Smith Rowe started the season with an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of close to €40 million, but his lack of playing time has seen that figure plummet to €18.1m – a decline that is starting to accelerate for a creative player under contract until July 2026.

Injury free after groin surgery in the autumn, everything points to him leaving the club in the summer, as pinpointing why he is not getting more minutes is a puzzle.

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Why Smith Rowe will leave Arsenal

Arteta may speak glowingly of Smith Rowe to the media, but his actions show that he favours summer signing Fabio Vieira over the Englishman. With Arsenal also seeking to strengthen their midfield in the summer, this is likely to push the academy graduate further down the pecking order, even if the incoming player is not necessarily direct competition in a creative area.

On top of this, Goal reports that Smith Rowe has ambitions to play for England. Given that he has just two hours of football to his credit since January, he will barely be registering on Gareth Southgate’s radar at present.

A move to Aston Villa or another Premier League side, who have again been linked with him, could act as a catalyst for him to fulfil this dream.

In any case, Smith Rowe is currently going nowhere but the exit door at Arsenal, and it will take a remarkable turnaround in his fortunes to change that.MORE: Arsenal still plotting swoop for €80m star they 'agreed terms with'