Arsenal have turned down AS Monaco’s offer for Emile Smith-Rowe.
Mikel Arteta has plans of keeping him at the club next season as midfield reinforcements get harder to make.
Arsenal’s top targets, Thomas Partey and Houssem Auoar are tipped to cost north of £50m which is not feasible at this very moment. Arteta has already added Willian and Gabriel Magalhaes as he looks to move on other deals soon.
Smith-Rowe has shown a lot of promise on his loan spell to Huddersfield Town last season. He featured in 19 Championship games and helped the Terriers avoid relegation with 2 goals and 3 assists. He was arguably their best player on the attacking front and picked up a lot of crucial first-team experience.
Arteta believes in the potential the midfielder has shown and wants to use him as one of the creative outlets next term. Mesut Ozil is no longer a part of Arteta’s revolution and Dani Ceballos, is yet to be recalled from Real Madrid on another loan spell. With a very tight season scheduled for next year, there will be a need for strong depth in each squad.
Smith-Rowe could win crucial first-team minutes, as Arsenal chase for silverware and look to make their mark on Europe once again in the Europa League. AS Monaco wanted the player on a permanent basis but were told to look elsewhere. Overall, Arsenal fans will be pleased to see a stiff hand from their club regarding Smith-Rowe.
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