How Far Can Emile Smith Rowe Go?

By Fabio Duarte

Arsenal’s upturn in results has coincided with the integration of one of the academy’s brightest talents. Emile Smith Rowe has recently come into the starting XI and made a big impact. 

Here’s a look at how EMS got to this point and what the future might hold for the 20-year-old.

Background

Croydon-born Emile Smith Rowe joined the academy at the age of 10. Not long after his 18th birthday, Smith Rowe made his first senior appearance for Arsenal in the Europa League. 

Smith Rowe made a further 5 appearances in cup competitions during his debut campaign at the Emirates before leaving on loan to RB Leipzig where he played an additional three games. 

During the following half-season, the academy graduate played six more matches for the Gunners. He featured in two league appearances before once again leaving on loan, this time for Huddersfield. A successful short-term stay with the Terriers granted Smith Rowe a prolonged stay in the first-team with 19 Championship appearances to his name.

This Season

Over 2 years since he made his first-team debut for Arsenal, Smith Rowe has earned a chance to prove himself in the Premier League. He made his first start against Chelsea, picking up an assist as Mikel Arteta’s side ended a long winless run.

Since then, Smith Rowe has started in each of Arsenal’s proceeding games, providing even more goal contributions and attacking intent.

As is often the case when a young player bursts onto the season, fans have wasted little time in hyping up EMS’s prospects. In response to being labeled the ‘Croydon de Bruyne’, Arteta urged supports to “keep it simple” and call him “Emile”.


The Future

As exciting as Smith Rowe’s emergence is, it’s important not to get carried away. Having said that, the small sample size does suggest that Smith Rowe has the ability to establish himself in the Arsenal starting XI and continue his development at the highest level.

One of the biggest ticks against his name is the role he plays within the team. The Gunners have been sorely missing creativity from the midfield and have few other candidates who can perform the same function as Smith Rowe. Even with the loan signing of Martin Ødegaard, Smith Rowe has every chance of accentuating his growing influence in the first-team picture.

Beyond this, an England call-up is certainly in the pipeline and a strong second half of the season could well put him in contention for the Euro 2021 squad.


In the meantime, Emile Smith Rowe is delivering everything that could reasonably be expected of him. He has grown a lot as a player in a relatively short space of time and as far as Arsenal fans are concerned, long may it continue. 


Popular posts from this blog

What have we learned from Arsenal's pre-season so far?

Image
  Arsenal – what have we learned from pre-season? By Jack Lacey-Hatton It only feels five minutes since Euro 2020, but incredibly we are just one week away from the new Premier League season starting. Arsenal will travel to newly promoted Brentford for a London derby in front of a noisy crowd next Friday night, not the easiest of starts to the new campaign. But what sort of shape are Mikel Arteta’s side in, going into what could be a defining season for the manager? We took a close look at what we have learnt from the pre-season period and what kind of shape the squad are in.   The new signings are ready to go It has been a mixed transfer window so far. Some fans would have expected more both leaving and arriving at the Emirates stadium over the summer. But positives can be taken - Ben White has arrived from Brighton for £50million, and highly-rated full back Nuno Tavares has come in from Benfica. Albert Sambi Lokonga completes the 2021 summer singings so far. Cruc...
Read more

Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves

Image
Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves By Jonny Bray It is hard to believe that Ruben Neves is still only 25-years-old.   It feels as if the Portuguese international has been tipped for big things for nearly a decade now.  With the midfielder out of contract in 2023, it appears his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers could be coming to an end.  Understandably, with a player like Neves on offer for a reduced price, clubs around Europe are queueing up to secure the international's signature.  So, after all this time, should Arsenal move for Ruben Neves now, or is it time for the Gunners to turn their attention to a new target?  What would he bring?  Arsenal do not have enough defensive midfielders.  Martin Ødegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka give Mikel Arteta plenty of midfield options going forward, but the Gunners have been found lacking when out of possession this season. Thomas Partey has been in and out of the side due to injuries, a fact that has not hel...
Read more

Where will Arsenal finish this season?

Image
Where will Arsenal finish this season? By Alec McQuarrie Arsenal have made steady improvement over the last few seasons under Mikel Arteta. After finishing 8th in his debut season, the Spaniard oversaw a five-point improvement in his first full campaign.  And last year an eight-point leap followed, which was unfortunately not enough to pip Tottenham to fourth place.  Cruelly, the 69 points accumulated would have been enough to seal Champions League qualification in the previous two seasons.  Looking at the trajectory over the Arteta era, it would be fair to assume a continued improvement this coming season.  After all, with five signings already secured this summer and Alexandre Lacazette the sole first-team player to depart, surely fourth place should be a bare minimum expectation.  Oleksandr Zinchenko offers much-needed cover at left-back and competition for central midfield.  Gabriel Jesus is a proven goalscorer and brings a tireless work-ethic to fulfil...
Read more