Emile Smith Rowe has had next to no luck over the past two years.
Cast your mind back a couple of years and you’ll remember the Arsenal youngster was one of the most exciting young talents in England.
He and Bukayo Saka were leading some sort of revolution at the Emirates, and he even got an England call-up.
However, a long-list of injury issues have stalled Smith Rowe’s development, but according to Chris Wheatley, speaking on ShotsTV, the Gunners actually want to use the 23-year-old more.
Indeed, Wheatley says that Arsenal do still have high hopes for the player, claiming that Mikel Arteta does like him and wants to use him more, but due to his injury issues, that hasn’t been possible.
Mikel Arteta wants to use Emile Smith Rowe more
Wheatley shared what he knows about the player.
“Arsenal actually blocked a move to West Ham, a loan move in the January transfer window. They have high hopes for him. Mikel Arteta does like him and wants to give him minutes, but these knocks are causing him issues and causing him to not get these games that he wants.” Wheatley said.
Talented
We can see why Mikel Arteta would want to use Smith Rowe more. After all, he’s a very talented player who will only improve as he gets more minutes and builds up a bit of rhythm.
However, injuries are a killer, and unless Smith Rowe proves that he can be trusted to stay fit and available for selection, he’s going to struggle to get into this Arsenal team in the long-term, especially with the likes of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli rivalling him for a spot on that left-wing as well as Martin Odegaard and Fabio Vieira vying for a spot in that number 10 role.
Smith Rowe is a talented player who deserves to get more minutes, but finding a way to get him into this team may not be easy, especially in the middle of a title challenge.