Mikel Arteta makes huge 'decision' on Emile Smith Rowe's Arsenal future amid transfer speculation

Arsenal will not sell Emile Smith Rowe this summer, according to reports.

The 22-year-old has been the subject of mass transfer speculation after making just 14 appearances this term.

That is partly due to a groin injury he suffered back in September during Arsenal's 3-1 defeat to Manchester United.

But even since returning to fitness, the England international has struggled for game time, with Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson both seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order.

In turn, rumours linking Smith Rowe with a move away have gathered momentum, with Aston Vila allegedly keen on the player.

However, The Athletic claim that Arsenal have "no intention" of letting Smith Rowe depart, with the midfielder expected to play a big part next season.

The report adds that the Gunners are hoping he will be a key player for England at the Under-21 European Championship later this summer before returning to London Colney for the upcoming campaign.

This time last year, Smith Rowe was widely considered one of Arsenal's most promising talents, scoring 11 goals in all competitions during 2021/22. But it seems he will be given a second chance at the Emirates.

Despite the focus around Arsenal's summer transfer plans, Mikel Arteta has insisted he is eager to improve his current squad, mentioning some players have been unable to fulfil their "potential" this season.

“First of all, be critical with ourselves, first with myself,” he said last week. “My job is to get the best out of 24 players that we have available and I haven’t been able to do that. There are still players who have great potential and we haven’t been able to do that.

“There are different reasons, whether it’s injuries, whether it’s game time, whether I haven’t had the opportunity or we I haven’t been able to play them enough. We have to look for those margins because we have those margins and our job is to make them better.”

Topics: Arsenal, Football, Transfers, Premier League, Emile Smith-Rowe, Mikel Arteta

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno