Arsenal: 3 primary tasks for Emile Smith Rowe next season

Emile Smith Rowe signing a new Arsenal contract is among some of the better news that will surface from this transfer window. Securing the futures of the club’s best talents shares importance with bringing in new additions and none are more vital than the Hale Ender.

Across a dismal Premier League campaign, to have anything even vaguely encouraging emerge from the depths that those eight months plunged to speaks volumes of Smith Rowe’s talents.

His inclusion in the side coincided with Arsenal recording the third most points in the division from Boxing Day onwards, showing dashes of Tomas Rosicky and Paul Merson nestled between his own unique style.

It wasn’t as simple as including a No. 10 in the team. While that systematic alteration transformed the outlook of the side it nonetheless required the right person for the job. All indications are that Arsenal have that man for years to come.

Arsenal: 3 primary tasks for Emile Smith Rowe next season following new long-term contract and being handed the number 10 shirt

Handed the famous shirt number demonstrates an almighty show of faith. It also means the expectations are higher.

To be asking much more from a 20-year-old who for all intents and purposes has just six months of Premier League football under his belt may seem steep. Expecting prime Mesut Ozil levels in the next season isn’t an appropriate pedestal to aim for, but it is now upon Smith Rowe to take his game to a new level.

How much higher can he go? His ceiling is out of sight; his future whatever he wants it to be. All the ability is there and if he has his eyes set on legendary status, then it’s within his grasp.

But not yet. One must step before they leap. In the coming campaign there are three primary tasks for the Croydon-born lad to be setting his sights on. Achievable goals that will put him in good stead for the years to come.

1. Hitting the Gym

Given his age there is still more physical growth for Smith Rowe to come. Some players take longer filling out the shirt naturally.

He can help himself, though.

By no means a giant, there is still work to be done to improve his success rate in duels and challenges. Hitting the gym is where that starts, likely surrounded by Amazon cameras.

To his credit he already appears to have made inroads. Prior to pre-season being disrupted fans were treated to two 45 minute outings of Smith Rowe against Hibernian and Rangers, and even in the training videos uploaded prior it was clear he’d been bulking up behind the scenes.

It isn’t a huge critique of him since his dexterity and nimble mobility is one of his biggest strengths, yet he can be too easily brushed off the ball in 50/50 duels and adding power into his strides and tackles will elevate his game.

2. Keeping Fit

It is not Smith Rowe’s fault he was overused following his introduction into the team. None of the points in this list are anything remotely close to Smith Rowe’s ‘fault’. And in regards to injuries, they too are not of his doing.

Some players’ bodies will struggle throughout their careers. Kieran Tierney is someone who it’s feared will be injury struck until the day he retires even if those he’s sustained are not connected to one another and dislocated shoulders, for example, are just rotten luck.

As for Smith Rowe, it’s more on the manager than it is on him to stay fit.

Noticeable last season were the periods where he was a world-beater and shining brightest on the pitch only to suffer a niggling issue one or two games later. One game prior to being ruled out it was clear he looked heavier in his legs and less mobile across the turf, then when he’d return from a setback would be at the outstanding level he’d set himself.

It happened often and was a mixture of his usage and his body being physically able. Strengthening the right areas when in the gym and taking care of his body, which is undauntedly already is, will help contribute to a more free-flowing campaign.

The lack of European football will also help. FA Cup and Carabao Cup matches will be further chance for him to recover until the, hopefully, the latter stages, therefore a collective effort to ensure he’s Premier League ready every week is crucial.

3. Scoring Goals and Registering Assists

The obvious one. Any player at any club donning the No. 10 shirt has this responsibility. Apart from William Gallas, and the less said the better.

Grabbing three goals and registering seven assists in the Premier League and Europa League last season, getting into double figures for goals next term is perhaps his most primary task.

It was an area of his game that was seen developing as the season progressed. Smith Rowe scored his first Premier League goal against West Brom on matchday 35 and immediately followed it up with the winner against Chelsea three days later.

One of the most vital traits within football and something Arsenal players didn’t do anywhere near enough of in 2020/21 was get into goal scoring positions. Meaningful space that isn’t occupied for the sake of it.

Gabriel Martinelli is a master of this despite his young age. A natural eye for goal, sniffing out the danger zones and, crucially, knowing when to exploit these gaps.

While totally different remits, Smith Rowe began showing greater predatory instincts with each passing week. The timings of his penalty box arrivals were sharper and his reading of the situations in the final third improved as his fearlessness to attack grew.

It always seems unjust to pin targets on players of his relative inexperience and age, but double figures for goals should a bar to aim for. He unquestionably has it within his locker.

As for assists, seeing the likes of Nicolas Pepe rediscover their scoring boots offers encouragement beyond Smith Rowe’s control that his numbers will rise, while as Bukayo Saka fine-tunes his own finishing ability there is even greater scope for assists.

The same, of course, goes to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. A hugely disappointing season from the captain can’t be repeated. The majority of chances Arsenal create fall to Aubameyang and with the vision and drive Smith Rowe has, many of those will arrive from his feet. Greater output from the aforementioned trio – and potential others – will serve the Hale Ender well.