Arsenal fans were gutted to see Emile Smith Rowe sold to Fulham last summer, but thankfully for them, hindsight suggests that the decision was absolutely correct.
Smith Rowe is a hugely popular figure in north London. A product of the Hale End academy who made it all the way to the first team and even secured the legendary no.10 jersey after an electric start to life as a fully-fledged Gunner.
There's something romantic about seeing an academy graduate making it in the first team and that's only heightened when he's part of a generation that included Bukayo Saka, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and Eddie Nketiah — all of whom cracked the first team at roughly the same time.
But the more nostalgic supporters would argue that a team should be built around such a nucleus of players, others will claim that there's no place for sentiment in football — particularly at a club with expectations as high as Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta's Smith Rowe Gamble Paid Off
Emile Smith Rowe in action for Fulham
After returning from a fruitful loan spell with Huddersfield, Smith Rowe moved straight into Arsenal's first team and didn't look back. A total of 115 appearances brought 18 goals and 13 assists as he proved himself as one of the Premier League's most exciting young players.
However, after claiming the no.10 shirt, injuries started to derail the attacking midfielder's career in north London — much like they had threatened to do during his rise through the ranks at the club. Smith Rowe's final season with Arsenal saw him start just three times in the Premier League as form, fitness and the rise of Martin Odegaard, Saka and Gabriel Martinelli saw him struggle to break into Arteta's first-choice XI.
In the Premier League title race, Arsenal have been getting closer and closer in recent seasons but haven't managed to top the pile in Arteta's reign, but incremental improvements to the Gunners' squad indicates that their title drought is surely close to being over.
Those improvements include new signings and ensuring that the players in Arteta's squad are physically and mentally capable of performing in 50–60 games per season to challenge on all fronts.
Club Appearances Goals Assists
Arsenal 115 18 3
Fulham 51 8 3
With those things in mind, Arsenal opted to cash in on Smith Rowe in August 2024 for an initial fee of £27million, going on to score six goals and offer three assists in 40 games during his first season on his £87,000 a week contract.
The midfielder's influence started to wane in the second half of the season and so far this term, the 25-year-old has started just once in the Premier League.
That start came in the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United — a match in which Smith Rowe was replaced at half-time following a disappointing 45 minutes at St James' Park in which he created just one chance and had just one shot.
Clearly a player of immense talent, Smith Rowe will continue to have a big role to play for Fulham, but for Arsenal, his lack of consistency only goes to validate the difficult decision to move him on.
With Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri now knocking on the door at the Emirates Stadium, opportunities would have diminished even further for Smith Rowe had he stuck around, and with Arteta hellbent on securing title glory, it seems that his decision to sanction his exit, while incredibly difficult, may have been the correct one.