Arsenal: The 5 ‘new signings’ Gunners will benefit from next season
Arsenal will be looking to add to the squad this summer. But here are five ‘new signings’ that they will also benefit from without signing anyone.
As was reported this week, Arsenal will not have the opportunity to splash the cash this summer. Head of Football Raul Sanllehi told staff not to expect big-money signings amid the financial pressures that COVID-19 has placed on the club, which could see losses of £144 million should games be played behind closed doors throughout next season. As a result, the Gunners will have to build a squad from the talent they already in the squad.
So, here are five ‘new signings’ that Mikel Arteta and co. can lean on more next season than they have this term.
5. Emile Smith Rowe
Quite what role will be available for Emile Smith Rowe next season remains to be seen. He will turn 20 in the summer and is now reaching an age at which he needs to push into the senior squad. He impressed in brief outings earlier this season and has been excellent for Huddersfield Town since his loan switch in January.
Smith Rowe has impressed his teammates and manager with his performances. “Emile is a brilliant player,” Lewis O’Brien told the Examiner Live. “When young kids come into the team – as everyone probably felt when I got in the side – everybody judges because of their age, but age doesn’t matter. The way he plays the game he seems miles older than he is and he’s a top-class player – a brilliant player to have in the team.” Meanwhile, manager Danny Cowley, via the Examiner Live, described Smith Rowe as a ‘Premier League player’ and someone who could ‘find space in a telephone box.’
Whether Smith Rowe can break into the Arsenal set-up next season remains to be seen. But alongside Joe Willock, he offers Arteta a vibrant alternative to Mesut Ozil in a creative, bursting midfield role.