Emile Smith Rowe will likely leave Arsenal on loan for the second January in succession as he looks to build up his experience at senior level.
The midfielder is widely acknowledged to be one of the club’s most exciting prospects but has seen injuries stifle his progress in the last 12 months.
The 19-year-old moved to RB Leipzig this time last year but featured only three times at the end of the season after a groin injury kept him sidelined for several months.
Last year, Smith Rowe scored three goals in five games for Unai Emery’s first team. He’s added a further six appearances to his name this campaign, including a first Premier League start under interim head coach Freddie Ljungberg.
We’ve no news on where Smith Rowe might head but we wouldn’t be surprised if clubs from Germany make an approach. Despite his fitness problems, RB Leipzig were very keen to extend his loan for another season.
Given his pedigree clubs from the Premier League and the Championship are also likely to be sniffing around.
While being at a club which is competing for the bundesliga title, and German clubs proving great for youth development. I think it better he went somewhere he’s basically guaranteed a start week in week out.
+ why not head off to Bristol City with Eddie. Double whammy they get to play and understand eachother better.
As a Gooner in Bristol this gets my vote – it would be enough to get me to brave the Gate.
Bristol probably cant afford both but that would be ideal
They can have Mustafi too.
Deal of the week: Buy 2 strikers and get a free Mustafi
Please Bristol, you mustafim.
boo
A loan is probably best for him at this stage. He’s a talented boy, just needs a good run of football.
He should stay and benefit from substitutions. The system Arteta is using is very demanding physically. Arteta has to make all his substitutions during each game.
I think we’re pretty well stocked for those front 4 positions; Aubameyang, Lacazette, Ozil, Pepe, Martinelli, Nelson, Willock, Saka, Ceballos. That’s already 9 into 4.
Send the boy back to RB Leipzig in exchange for first refusal for Upermancano?..
No brainer
Overall our youth loans are starting to look well thought out, if he can get a good run of games that would be excellent
Needs to be at a premier league side, I’d say Eddie needs the same. They’ve had loan spells at smaller clubs, need to step up and play PL football if they are going to make it. ESR should be able to get game time at a lower level PL side. Although with our current position that doesn’t leave many to choose from!
Tough setting youngings to relegation scrappers in my opinion, I don’t have much to back up that notion but we’re into the 2nd half of the season and I just think most those teams will stick to what they know to get them through. I’d like to see him drop to the championship where it is demanding as hell and he’ll get ample game time..that might be me but hey I’m loving the youth movement let’s just make sure we properly set them up with well thought out loans
To me he is the most exciting prospect at the club, more than Reiss and Bukayo. Has an added layer of creativity, like a modern version of Ozil, suited to today’s game.
Hope he gets the chance in 1st team, and that injuries avoid him.
Martinelli has got to be the best prospect. He is banging in the goals for fun, and looks like a top striker already. He could play in the first team regularly now.
I feel like he meant homegrown/England lads, but agreed martinelli is an absolute gem. Thank god we got him
Jimbo, I agree with you on Martinelli but I did think about our academy. Cheers bud.
I have big expectations for this guy. He kinda reminds me of Kevin de Bruyne, not saying he is at that level, but he have the “ingredients” to become a similar player to him. If not a PL loan, I think he could do well in the BuLi
Yes Dave! I say the exact same thing. He has that style and build, albeit slimmer as he is 19. He looks like he will be a star player.
Loaning him to a Premier League club, provided they agree to play him regularly, would be best for him imo.
He’s done the Bundesliga thing and he’s too good for the Championship, he needs to step up to the next level.
Better for him and better for us.
I mean, I kind of agree, but I’m also looking at what Mason Mount did at Derby last year and how he’s transitioned into starting for Chelsea, and thinking could ESR do the same?
Good point, Mount did cross my mind the moment I pressed send tbh. I guess that he had Lampard at Derby and was really pushed to play most games.
I was, Insuppose, thinking more of Jack Wilshere and how that year at Bolton in the EPL, ironically under Big Sam, really brought him on
Getting him 20 games in the championship would be ideal, would give him a good platform to come back in pre-season and really stake a claim.
If Ceballos goes back to Madrid? Then he can take his place in the squad.
And if we can’t get shot of Ozil this summer? It gives us a year to groom his successor.
I really like him, he’s really powerful for a young lad, and looks like he has goals to his game.
I’m happy taking 2-3 years building a core of academy graduates, mixed in with the likes of Guendouzi, Saliba, Martinelli.
Why are you so keen to get rid of Ozil who is showing his best form for years?
Because his best form for years has simply been him running around a bit more.
No goals
No assists
No end product
What he’s doing now should be the bare minimum requirement, he’s a No10 who rarely scores, rarely assists, and who’s attitude and application hasn’t been good enough for a long time.
The sooner we move him on, and replace him with a more dynamic player the better.
Ah, Rich, back to your usual. No more Emery to defend, but still banging on about Ozil, no matter what happens on the pitch.
All we’ve got from Ozil is 3 games of him doing the basics right, which should be the minimum requirement. If he’s still putting in this level of effort by the end of the season? Then keeping him for another 12 months, I can deal with. But he’s a no10 who’s produced hardly any end product over the past 3 years, and hasn’t produced consistently form since the first half of the 2015/16 season. Anyone objective can surely understand my frustration with Ozil, particularly for a player of his undoubted ability and quality. As fans I think we can forgive… Read more »
Let’s see how Ozil does under Mikel.
I’d rather have Ozil than Xhaka any day.
Mavranpanos also desperately needs a loan and a guaranteed 90 minutes every week.
OK, let him join the migration to Bristol that’s been covered above!
He’s not been as strong this season and will benefit from a strong loan and (hopefully) regular game time to accelerate development. ditto Mavropanos. We have Ozil and Cebellos to fill in the advance role (not to mention Willock or GUendouzi can also operate there. Probably good to have another CM to back up/rotate/compete with Torreira and Granit at the base. Would like to see us get Emre Can on loan. He can cover at CM as mentioned but also back up Cback in which case we have Sokratis, Luiz and Holding with Mavropanos and Mustafi hopefully out on loan.… Read more »
I like Emre Can, would be a strong move for us, could cover a few positions and has played in England, I agree!
ESR should go to a club that provides him with the playing time in a position that our manager sees him occupying in the long term. A championship side would be ideal, but I could even see a couple of PL clubs making inquiries.
Agreed that finding the right landing spot with position(s) would be the best and in the championship. I’m sure PL clubs will inquire but for a half-season loan, it doesn’t make too much sense to me as he might get just slightly more playing time with another PL club as he would in the cups with Arsenal. Championship offers more consistent opportunity to play in a physically demanding league, I would think.