Arsenal: Emile Smith Rowe loan must be mastered

Emile Smith Rowe is reportedly set to leave Arsenal on loan this January. It could be a smart decision, but the landing spot must be the right one.

Eddie Nketiah was not going to play very often for Arsenal. Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were the starting centre-forwards, while Gabriel Martinelli, Reiss Nelson, Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe could man the wings. Nketiah was not needed.

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And the Gunners, keen to continue the youngster’s development, recognised that his playing time might be reduced. So, they made the decision to loan him out in search of regular first-team football, and after an exhaustive process that included potential teams constructing a bid that detailed how Nketiah would be used and how his development would be aided as a result, they selected Leeds United.

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However, since that time, Nketiah has not been awarded the first-team opportunities Arsenal were expecting. In fact, the 20-year-old has featured in 14 league games for Leeds this season. All have come as a substitute. In total, he has played only 343 minutes. That is not what is required for a player who needs to be playing regularly to continue their development. And now it seems as though Arsenal are set to make the same decision with another of their talented youngsters.

With the Europa League group stages drawing to a close and the EFL Cup over, the second half of the season features fewer games in which managers can throw in the young players. As a result, their minutes are reduced significantly. For Emile Smith Rowe, who, like Nketiah, is on the cusp of breaking into the first team but needs to be playing regularly, that is problematic. So, if he cannot get starts in north London, a loan then becomes a natural option.

Per James Benge of Football.London, Smith Rowe is set to be loaned out in the January transfer window, with the club keen to find a landing spot that will provide him with 15-plus appearances. There is a lot that makes sense with the move, should it be made, but like with Nketiah, it must be executed correctly.

Sending Smith Rowe on loan to another team so that he can sit on their bench and play a bit-part role late in games without much genuine playing time is meaningless. He may as well sit on the bench at the Emirates and gain the instruction and coaching of Mikel Arteta and his newly assembled staff.

But if Smith Rowe is loaned out to a team that will play him on a regular basis, this could be the making of him. As we have seen with players like Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, late-season loans that see them play regularly are invaluable in their preparation for senior football. Smith Rowe could have the same explosive end to the season in 2020.

Smith Rowe is a brilliantly talented footballer with a bright future ahead of him. But he needs opportunities to play, to learn, to grow, to make mistakes, to develop. A loan, then, is perfect, but it has to be the right one.