“Just a bit of shame for him how it’s gone” – Alan Smith insists Arsenal star has ‘gone backwards’ in terms of progress

Football pundit Alan Smith believes that Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe has regressed since bursting into the first-team and could be thinking of leaving the Emirates in the upcoming transfer windows.

Smith Rowe made his debut for the Gunners during the 2018-19 season after coming through the club's academy. He had a stellar 2021-22 season, netting 11 goals in 37 appearances.

Unfortunately, Smith Rowe struggled with injuries last season, limiting him to just 15 appearances across all competitions. His situation hasn't improved this season as he has fallen behind Fabio Vieira and Kai Havertz in the pecking order.

The England international has only made five appearances across all competitions, with four of these coming off the bench, playing just 116 minutes. Moreover, he hasn't started a Premier League match for Arsenal in nearly two years.

Smith made an appearance on the Seaman Says podcast where he said (via The Boot Room):

“There’s something about Emile that Arteta’s not sure about. And yeah, you’re right, him and Saka came through the academy and they were coming up, heading for the stars. And then, Bukayo’s gone like that, and Emile’s gone backwards, hasn’t he?"

He added:

“He must be thinking, probably I need to move if this continues because he’s too good. But if you’re Arteta, you want to keep that depth of quality in your squad, so he’ll like to keep him I’d imagine. He got a run-out in the Carabao at Brentford. But he’s hardly getting a sniff."

“There’ll be so many clubs that would have him. I don’t think he’s trouble or anything like that. He’s a good lad. So yeah, it’s just a bit of shame for him how it’s gone.”

Smith Rowe is still fairly young and still has time to make an impact in the Premier League. As per 90min, Newcastle United, Chelsea, and Aston Villa were all interested in securing the player's signature in the summer.

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta provides injury update on Thomas Partey

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provided a positive update on Thomas Partey during his pre-match press conference yesterday (October 2).

Partey hasn't featured for the Gunners since picking up a groin injury before last month's international break, prior to their game against Manchester United. Arteta revealed that the 30-year-old is back in full team training. He said (via Football.london):

"He’s progressed really well in the last two weeks and he managed to train in the last two or three days with the team and that’s great news for us obviously."

Partey could make an appearance for Arsenal in their next fixture against Lens in their UEFA Champions League group stage clash later today (October 3)