Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe transfer stance hugely encouraging

Arsenal have been guilty of selling players too late in the past. In many of those instances, they’ve been poor recruitment decisions. Either that or those who have been moved on have done so for pittance, saying all you need to know about the club’s squad building. Emile Smith Rowe is different.

Aston Villa have some serious cheek. They also have clear ambition. Spending over £270m in the past two seasons as they bid to build a squad capable of being involved in the Premier League’s European conversation, they don’t look like easing up.

Bringing in Emi Buendia on a fee worth around £40m, their offer for Emile Smith Rowe continued to demonstrate where they believe they stand in English football. It was also laughably negligible. Arsenal’s (other) wonderkid has just come off the back of a magnificent six months and any notion of selling now him is absurd.

Therefore it’s an encouraging sign that Arsenal have no desire, at all, of selling him this window or in any upcoming one, as per multiple outlets.

Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe transfer stance hugely encouraging as £25m bid is rejected and new core develops during summer window

Letting him go now, as this stage of his development, would spell the end of any faith left in the club hierarchy. Investing so much time and effort into his progress since he joined the academy at the age of ten, only to then let him leave when he’s on an upwards trajectory and at the pique of his powers to date would constitute a total lack of care, understanding or direction.

Which is why the club’s stance is reassuring; not only because they understand his talent and the importance of the Hale End threat stitched into Arsenal’s fabric, but indeed because it means the club are doing something right.

When such offers come in they are rightly batted away, but them arriving in the first place is a sign of the club taking positive strides.

As fans the thought of your best players departing is terrifying. We grow so attached to them. Smith Rowe, with essentially just six months of Premier League football under his belt being subject to a £25m offer is quietly brilliant news. Arsenal’s academy players are developing at such a rate that they’re being courted for those fees with just 22 top-flight outings on their CV.

Villa won’t be last to test the waters and even Real Madrid are now hovering around, hence why positive sounds emanating about a new contract, one that Smith Rowe will sign, is progress towards a squad with a core worth building around.

It’s the inner workings of a desirable team, not only to Arsenal fans, but others. That can only be positive.