Arsenal vs Brentford: 5 key players to watch for

3. Emile Smith Rowe

I’m not sure in what capacity Emile Smith Rowe will be used, but let’s talk about his brief cameo against Vorskla for a second. I mentioned before that match that there are a lot of familiar, fragile hopes attached to Smith Rowe and his present and future with the club.

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I cautioned before that match that this is where we normally start seeing players trickle out of the “he should be the with the first team!” spectrum. It happened to Reiss Nelson. It happened consistently with Chuba Akpom. Jeff Reine-Adelaide was more of the same.

But Smith Rowe showed everything that we saw in the preseason. He looked confident, determined, mature and, best of all, he still looked incredibly special. Like – dare I say it – he actually was ready to be a more regular presence in the first team.

I hope he starts against Brentford. I want to see him get those first competitive 90 minutes under his belt so we can see how he stands up to it.

If he’s only used as a sub, that works too. We just need to see more of him. I am forcing myself to be cautious in my excitement of him, and could really go for a worldy performance in any first-team competition that will allow me to let go of that caution.

No. 2 is next,