Emile Smith Rowe sends clear message to Mikel Arteta as Arsenal face FFP transfer decision

Arsenal academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe is showing that he’s prepared to go the extra mile to earn his place in Mikel Arteta’s team back this season.

The midfielder is one of the players to be linked with a move away from the club this summer, having fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium. Fulham have been linked with an interest in the 23-year-old in the summer transfer window.

Smith Rowe made just 19 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal last season with 13 coming in the Premier League. He was an unused substitute for five of the final six games in the league as Arsenal battled Manchester City for the title.

A sale of Smith Rowe this summer would go down as pure profit in Arsenal’s accounts, meaning that it will be a boost in terms of meeting the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability rules (PSRs). Fellow academy graduates Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah are among the other players to be linked with a move away.

The three are part of a six-man squad who have flown out to Marbella with manager Mikel Arteta for an early pre-season training camp. Smith Rowe’s actions ahead of the camp show his determination to have a successful season, whether that be at Arsenal or elsewhere.

According to CBS Sports , the midfielder travelled out to the training camp a week before everyone else so that he could get a head start on his fitness work.

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Smith Rowe has two years remaining on his contract with Arsenal, with the club having seen off interest from Aston Villa in previous transfer windows. Arteta has already outlined the player’s strengths.

Speaking after the 2-0 win against Luton back in April, the Arsenal boss said: “I love him as a player, he is a joy to watch. How he moves, changes direction and how physical he was today without the ball.

“He went into duels and won a lot of them and was thinking with that killer instinct to play forward and make things happen. When Emile is in that moment, it's very difficult to stop him.”