Emile Smith Rowe has admitted that he is ready to step up for Arsenal next season, and the Gunners could save themselves a small fortune by investing time in the attacking midfielder.
The 19-year old has played just twice in the Premier League this season, the second of those appearances came from a starting spot against Everton in December, before he was loaned to Huddersfield Town in Janaury.
Since then, Smith Rowe has made nine appearances in the Championship for the Terriers, and talking to Football.London, he has declared that he is ready to return to the Arsenal fold in the summer.
Despite Mesut Ozil’s agent having declared that his client will not be leaving the Emirates this summer, with the former Germany international intent on fulfilling his contract, there is also uncertainty over whether he will be wanted by the club, with Mail Online claiming that Mikel Arteta could sacrifice him.
Should they move the former Real Madrid star on at some point during this summer, the Gunners should look no further than Smith Rowe to slot into his role in the squad.
Since joining Huddersfield, Smith Rowe has been key to the former Premier League club’s Championship revival, scoring once and assisting on three occasions as the club have moved from 20th to 17th since the Arsenal man joined the club.
Smith Rowe has created 15 chances for his teammates at the John Smith’s Stadium, and of all the players in the league to have played over 600 minutes this season, he ranks fifth in expected assists, with an average of 0.27 per match.
While it can be easy to downplay these figures as they’re just relative to the quality of the Championship, Ozil hasn’t been posting impressive figures in the Premier League. The 31-year old has just one goal and one assist to his name this season, having had just three shots on target and somehow having created zero ‘big chances’ in 17 appearances (PremierLeague.com).
At just 19-years old and with a hunger to succeed, Smith Rowe could bring an energy and enthusiasm to the No.10 role that Ozil just hasn’t been able to summon in some time.
