Emile Smith Rowe describes Mikel Arteta in one word after leaving Arsenal for Fulham

Former Arsenal winger Emile Smith Rowe has described his ex-manager Mikel Arteta as a man of 'detail'. The English winger, who now plays for Fulham, made the claim in a recent appearance on Sky Sports.

A product of Arsenal's famed Hale End academy, Smith Rowe bagged 18 goals and 13 assists in 115 appearances for his boyhood side across all competitions. After falling out of favor with Arteta, he joined the Cottagers for a reported £34 million in the summer of 2024.

Despite his unceremonious exit from the Emirates, the 24-year-old had nothing but praise for the Gunners and his former manager. He commended the Spaniard for helping him improve as a player, claiming that he couldn't 'thank him enough' for that.

When asked to describe Arteta in one word, Smith Rowe said (via Mirror):

"Detail."

Explaining his answer, he added:

"I think this is just a word to just explain how he works, you know, like just the attention to detail, just in terms of the tactics and stuff. Details just to everything, you know, the pressing or the playing out from the back and where you have to be in the right moment as an attacking player. And obviously he improved me a lot as a player as well so yeah, I can't thank him enough."

Smith Rowe has made 18 appearances for Fulham this season, netting thrice and assisting twice. Meanwhile, Arteta's Arsenal are on a 10-game unbeaten run in all competitions and sit third in the Premier League.

"He's a real inspiration" - Fulham forward Emile Smith Rowe makes claim about former Arsenal teammate

Fulham attacker Emile Smith Rowe called his former Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka a 'real inspiration'. The 24-year-old claimed that the England star 'turns into an animal' on the pitch, commending his incredible determination and 'mentality'.

In a recent appearance on Sky Sports, Smith Rowe was asked to describe Saka in one word. He said (via TBR Football):

"Starboy."

Elaborating on his answer, he added:

"Pretty easy to be fair, man. I've known him for so long, seeing how far he has come. An amazing person, everyone will tell you, he's one of the nicest guys in football. But, as soon as he gets on the pitch, he just turns into an animal."

"It's just amazing to see. I'm so happy for him. He deserves everything. The stats don't lie. At the end of the day, it's the mentality he has as well – always wants to win, always wants to work hard, always wants to improve. He's a real inspiration," Smith Rowe concluded.

With nine goals and 13 assists in 23 games across all competitions (stats via Transfermarkt), Saka has been on song throughout the 2024-25 season. In Arsenal's 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace on December 21, he limped off with an apparent hamstring problem, with the extent of the injury still unknown (at the time of writing of this article).