Is Emile Smith Rowe ready to step up to a bigger role if Martin Odegaard does return to Real Madrid?

Emile Smith Rowe

Is Emile Smith Rowe ready to step up to a bigger role if Martin Odegaard does return to Real Madrid?

By Oscar Maung-Haley

With Martin Odegaard’s impending departure from the Emirates looming large, questions will be asked about whether Emile Smith Rowe is ready to step.

Odegaard looks set to re-join parent club Real Madrid after his six month loan in North London – and Arsenal will be looking to Smith Rowe to fill the Norwegian’s playmaking boots. 

The 2020/21 campaign was something of a breakthrough for Smith Rowe, who made 33 senior appearances this season.

Deployed predominately as a technical attacking midfielder, Smith Rowe is comfortable operating off the left hand side and offers boss Mikel Arteta some tactical flexibility.

After missing out on the first half of the season, the England Under-21 international was handed a run of games at the turn of the year by Arteta.

And the Spaniard’s faith in the Arsenal starlet was rewarded, with the 20-year-old bagging three assists in his first six Premier League appearances this season.

In total, he scored two goals and registered four assists in his breakthrough campaign.

Additionally, Smith Rowe’s arrival in the senior team also coincided with an upturn in form for the Gunners.

Arsenal lost eight of their opening 13 Premier League games – which Smith Rowe did not feature in at all.

However, upon his introduction, Arsenal lost just five times for the remainder of the Premier League campaign, with Smith Rowe heavily involved.

But while Smith Rowe remains a precocious talent, Odegaard is still the better player.

Martin Odegaard

While his numbers are worse than Smith Rowe’s, it’s important to remember that stats aren’t everything.
Odegaard is capable of playing passes that no one else on the pitch can make and his technical ability and quality on the ball are clear for all to see.

He brings a level of uncertainty and unpredictability to Arsenal’s attack, which they will surely miss in the event that he does return to the Bernabeu.

Had Zinedine Zidane, who rarely made use of Odegaard’s talent, remained at Real Madrid, there is every chance the Norwegian’s stay in north London could have been prolonged. 

But with an unpredictable summer ahead for the Spanish giants – their budget has been hit hard by Covid-19 – they will probably look to involve him more in their first team plans.

Equally, much like Real Madrid, Arsenal are also suffering from the effects of the pandemic.

Covid-19 is likely to mean that Arteta and technical director Edu will have to get creative with their recruitment this summer.

And one tempting option could be to move Smith Rowe on, with Aston Villa rumoured to be weighing up a £30m move for the Arsenal youngster.

Should Arsenal sell Smith Rowe, it would free up some cash to improve other areas of the squad.

Given Smith Rowe’s clear talent however, selling him could be a potentially disastrous move.

Smith Rowe must continue to get regular game time at the highest level in order to progress.

While he is not on the level of Odegaard, there is nothing to suggest that two or three full seasons of senior football could not change that.

Arsenal have plenty of talented youngster on their hands.

And alongside Bukayo Saka, they must choose to build around them if they are to have any hope of returning to the top table of Premier League – and European – football.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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