David Ornstein delivers surprising Emile Smith Rowe update

Emile Smith Rowe endured a mightily frustrating 2022/23 season after undergoing groin surgery, and many suspected Arsenal would move him on this summer if the right offer came in.

However, The Athletic’s David Ornstein provided a surprise update on Tuesday afternoon suggesting the club has no intention of letting Smith Rowe depart.

The creative midfielder broke into the England set-up off the back of his excellent form for the Gunners throughout 2021, but his 2022 was marred by a groin issue that eventually forced him to undergo surgery.

His minutes dwindled in 2022/23 as a result, with Mikel Arteta rarely using him once he returned to full fitness during the second half of the season. The manager’s seeming mistrust of ESR convinced many that we might’ve seen the last of him in Arsenal colours during the 5-0 thumping of Wolves last weekend.

David Ornstein delivers surprising Emile Smith Rowe update

Arsenal are said to be in the market for two midfielders this summer, and Reiss Nelson’s reported contract extension painted an ominous picture for Smith Rowe. However, according to Ornstein, the Gunners do not want to let the 22-year-old leave the club this summer as he’s still regarded as an ‘important part’ of Arteta’s plans.

Smith Rowe dazzled after bursting onto the scene at the end of 2020, and he notched ten Premier League goals in 2021/22 before playing just 161 league minutes the following season.

However, there’s hope the crafty playmaker will rediscover his best form in 2023/24, with the Under-21 European Championships this summer being a useful environment to kick-start his resurgence.

Smith Rowe signed a new long-term extension with the club in 2021, and Arteta recently hinted that the 22-year-old is one of few players he must get the absolute most out of moving forward.

“First of all, be critical with ourselves, first with myself,” he said last week. “My job is to get the best out of 24 players that we have available and I haven’t been able to do that. There are still players who have great potential and we haven’t been able to do that.

“There are different reasons, whether it’s injuries, whether it’s game time, whether I haven’t had the opportunity or we I haven’t been able to play them enough. We have to look for those margins because we have those margins and our job is to make them better.”