Not many youth talents have excelled from the academy setup to the first team with ease while also doing very well for their country’s youth levels. Very few have captured the expectations and imaginations of fans like the way this Hale End graduate has in recent years for Arsenal. Emile Smith Rowe’s recent surge in the top-flight footballing sphere has been nothing short of remarkable.
Having joined the club at the tender age of 10, ESR was given his debut under the guidance of Unai Emery, where he scored in his second match vs. Qarabag FK in the Europa League, becoming the first player born after 2000 to score for Arsenal, sparking high hopes for his future. His inclusion in the first team at a slender age meant that he was expected to be the frontrunner of talents making ample noise in Europe.
For further development, he was loaned out to RB Leipzig, where he hardly featured because of a recurring groin injury. The following season saw him go on for another successive loan spell at Huddesfield Town, where he managed to play a key role in keeping them in the championship.
Following his return to Arsenal, ESR established himself under Mikel Arteta, who put his faith in ESR’s capabilities, which resulted in him unleashing his best potential, quickly racking up goals and assists. The following season, ESR was handed a contract extension, a #10 shirt, and managed to rack up 10+ G/A assists (Arsenal’s top scorer that season in the PL), through which he was shortlisted for the PL Young Player of the Season and became a prominent figure at the Emirates.
The Emile Smith Rowe conundrum: Arsenal’s lost gem?
Smith Rowe’s trajectory was expected to reach its peak with the way he progressed in such a short spell of time after his reintroduction—creating goals for fun, delivering match-winning performances for Arsenal in their not-so-good run of form in the 2021 season, and also being handed his senior cap for England.
Things took a massive turn when he had to deal with innumerable injury issues and competition from players at Arsenal lately, where he was forced to play a squad role for the club. This resulted in him starting only three games in the last two seasons in the Premier League. The limited game time ended up dampening his confidence and going on to obviously lower his price tag.
Emile Smith Rowe is a high-quality creative midfielder who prefers roaming out wide at LW and also sitting into pockets of space as and when needed. His directness in possession and his on-the-ball prowess from different positions on the pitch make him a valuable asset. May it be his ball-carrying ability, creative vision, or even his smooth dribbling attributes.
Smith Rowe’s technical brilliance, ball manipulation, and ball-carrying ability have earned him nicknames from the Gunners fanbase like “Croydon De Bruyne” for his similarities with the Belgium international.
Surplus at Arsenal
With Arsenal approaching its peak in terms of squad building, it’s expected that one of their homegrown talents might have to assess his options. With a couple of Premier League clubs keeping tabs on his moves this window, it seems likely that he would leave Arsenal for more first-team exposure.
Through this article, we’ll try to look at Emile Smith Rowe’s rise in recent years, his visually appealing strengths, and the future that lies ahead for the Hale End prospect. Firstly, let’s look at his player profile:
Emile Smith Rowe – Player Profile
Age: 23
Club: Arsenal
Position: AM/LW/CM
Preferred Foot: Right
Nationality: English
Value: €22M
Height: 6’0
Avg. SofaScore rating: 6.78
Strengths: passing, dribbling, creativity, work rate, positioning
Weaknesses: Aerial Duels
Role at Arsenal:
In his purple patch, he was tasked with being the creative force to drive the team forward. To be the innovative force merging attack and midfield by showcasing his passing technique and also mixing up his confidence and directness on the ball.
While being the creator that he naturally is, he heavily relied on being a scorer, showcasing his wonderful finishing and elite IQ in finding the back of the net with his positioning. A no-nonsense approach to offensive play and helping in rhythmic disruptions in defense
Strengths:
In Possession:
ESR’s best trait is his ball-carrying ability—the willingness to cover ground comfortably and dribble past players in 1v1 situations with his swift running and ball expertise. His impressive close control helps him hold onto the ball when needed and drive forward in counter-attacking situations.
Smith Rowe’s passing has matured over time, not the conservative player he was when handed his debut. The ability to play quick one-twos, break the defensive lines, change the point of attack with crisp passes, or even try making risk-assessed passes reaps him rewards in terms of assists and shot creation actions.
Playing as a #10 or an #8 for the majority of his career, he’s managed to find the accuracy and consistency in picking out the right pass in order to make passes into the final third and penalty area. The ratio of executing a pass to completing a pass has largely increased.
When positioned as a creative winger, he likes to drift inside from wider areas and get closer to the box in order to orchestrate his next move—may it a cutback, a lofted pass inside, or even dribble and have a shot himself where he possesses his deadly finishing. It helps in the functioning of the LHS massively.
While receiving the ball, he possesses excellent first touch. His mobile yet heavy body stature helps him to shield the ball and make half turns that help keep the ball close to his feet, which complements his ability to change directions and carry the ball higher up the pitch or play passes when required.
He can sniff space out because of his subtle positional styles, which help him position himself in gaps and also help teammates explode into channels that he breaks or plays passes into. Very good vs. midblocks and lowblocks, all thanks to his creativity being the biggest threat.
Out of Possession:
Smith Rowe’s defensive work rate is commendable, a mix of his learnings on loan at Huddesfield and Arteta’s wants as an attacking player. Effective pressing routines and intensity put into winning the ball back display his defensive awareness.
When faced with counterattacking or tracking back situations, ESR shows the aggression to track the runner and sprint into positions to make challenges or slow down opposition attacks. Recognizing and minimizing the defensive danger has molded his game to a better level.
His positional game helps him in every aspect, another one being his ability to anticipate. Blocking passing lanes, anticipating movements, or recovering the ball by just adding pressure. An archetype attacking player to build upon transitional football
He might not be the fastest of the lot that can make quick bursts of pace, but his body stature allows him to naturally glide with or without the ball. An agile player who rather makes movements and positions himself well than runs with pace—a copyrighted ESR style.
Classifying ESR as an intelligent prodigy is certainly not something over-the-top. OTB movements that help him deceive opponents by attracting markers and creating space for attacks are a good method for starting attacks.
Potential suitor for Emile Smith Rowe: Marco Silva’s Fulham FC
With the club looking for £30-35 million this summer in order to make a pure profit out of their Hale End graduate, a move to London’s Fulham has been discussed internally in order to strike a good deal for all parties involved.
Marco Silva’s Fulham, who’ve already shown interest and reported having a bid rejected by Arsenal in recent weeks, are expected to bid again for the English international. The West London side is likely to invest a decent amount of cash after the sale of João Palhinha to Bayern Munich.
Fulham are thought to be preparing a second bid for Emile Smith Rowe, however, it will have to be a significant improvement on their first bid, which was described as ‘horrendous’. Crystal Palace are also expected to make an offer for the player. [@Teamnewsandtix Patreon] #afc pic.twitter.com/7A1MnG7LX7
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) July 17, 2024
A side that plays entertaining football is fluid with their 4-3-3 variations in and out of possession. Like Arsenal, Fulham too believe in playing through the system in defense and attack as a team, which would make it easier for ESR to transcend into and make combinations and use his vision to create for the attacking line.
For Marco Silva at Craven Cottage, he could predominantly fit in as the #10 player playing in phase 4 of the buildup, operating behind the last line of defense and creating chances, breaking lines for CF, may it be Muniz or Jiminez. He can also provide versatility as a creative winger from LW.
In possession, they focus on triangular rotations formed by the fullbacks, #8s, and wingers who play wide. ESR playing as an #8 in this could create combinations, switch positions, and drag and split the opponent’s structure. A ball-playing side that prefers playing with the ball from the back
Out of possession, ESR could complement Fulham’s defensive needs by tracking back and playing compact blocks in midfield rather than going man-to-man. He could apply the required pressure to winning the ball and also cover aggressive pressers on the Fulham side. Tailor-made fit for Fulham’s football overall.
Smith Rowe’s situation is quite similar to what it was for Andreas Pereira a couple of seasons ago when he was at United. I needed minutes, joined Fulham from United, and have been doing quite well ever since. So ESR has the caliber of being the marquee signing for Fulham this window.
A London boy preferring a move to stay in London will make the utmost sense if this deal is to go through. A side that’ll get him regular minutes and keep him in good shape for his further endeavors as well.
Overall Verdict:
Emile Smith Rowe is genuinely a top talent, still young and hungry to prove his worth. At this given time, the best suitable outcome for both sides would be to sell the player for better development purposes and manage to get a decent fee for his talent.
If Arsenal do manage to fund 35 million+ for the England international, it would represent a win-win situation for all concerned for a player who wants to rejuvenate his career as a starter for a top team in England. Lack of minutes, injury issues, and trust from the manager have dampened his chances to prove his worth at the Emirates in recent seasons.
