Arsenal: Emile Smith Rowe signs new contract with No. 10 shirt

Arsenal have confirmed that Emile Smith Rowe has signed a new long-term contract with the club and been handed the famous No. 10 shirt.

An announcement that has been in the waiting for a number of months, let alone weeks, has finally arrived and adds to the wonderful work being done behind the scenes at Arsenal to forge a core of youngsters to usher this club into a new, hopefully brighter, era.

Kieran Tierney was the latest to be added to the growing list of talent to commit their futures to the Gunners, with news of Smith Rowe’s signing one of the best of all. To be given the No. 10 shirt at his age is representative of the outstanding six months he’s had and his development up until this point, while also a giant show of faith.

It had been rumoured for some time that he would be handed the legendary number ten shirt, which was finally announced on the club’s official website.

Emile Smith Rowe signs new long-term Arsenal contract with No. 10 shirt handed to the Hale End graduate to quell rumours of a summer transfer departure

Having rejected two derisory bids from Aston Villa for his signature, the latest totaling £30m, Mikel Arteta insisted that the Hale Ender was not for sale. That has now been put into writing.

"Technical director Edu said: “This is another important step forward for us and we’re all delighted that Emile has signed a new long-term contract. It’s great to see another young player develop through our academy system to become a key part of our first team. Emile is a player who represents the future of the club and this is why we have given him the No 10 shirt. We have trust in Emile and we know he has the potential to be a beautiful player for many years to come.”"

Edu’s words were echoed by the manager, who was full of praise for the 20-year-old.

"Mikel Arteta said: “As we all saw last season, Emile is an intelligent player with excellent ability. His sharpness on the turn and exceptional vision have already made him a key player for us. His attitude and willingness to learn have also been very impressive. Huge credit to our team in our academy who have given Emile a great education and have worked superbly to help with his development through the age groups.“Along with the first-team staff, huge credit also goes to our senior players, who have played such an important role to help Emile develop, gain confidence and perform the way he did last season. I know the fans will join us in being delighted that Emile has committed his future to the club. We’re now looking forward to helping him develop further and seeing him become even more important to the strong young team we’re building.”"

With this shirt comes great responsibility. There is expectancy now for him to go on and be notching double figures for goals and assists. It’s a huge ask. But nobody is doubting him.