3 reasons why Emile Smith Rowe could be Arsenal’s midfield answer

Emile Smith Rowe is a Hale End academy graduate who has already shown he has the ability to shine in a Mikel Arteta side. 

However, a series of unfortunate and often lengthy injuries have stunted the 23-year-old’s progress at the Emirates, and has lost his once-regular starting position in the squad.

As a result, while Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Smith Rowe himself were once held in the same regard, the two former players have seen their careers and long-term trajectories skyrocket, while the ‘Croydon De Bruyne’ has languished.

Despite this, I still believe there is a place for Smith Rowe in the starting XI in the form of a midfield role. While I will admit that when playing against strong opposition, this may not be the most defensively solid strategy, at home against weaker sides, deploying him in this position could benefit the team – here are three reasons why…

3 reasons why Emile Smith Rowe could be the answer for Arsenal

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1. Creativity

Irrespective of where you fall upon the current Kai Havertz debate at Arsenal, one thing is for certain, against Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Fulham, we have largely struggled to create clear-cut chances in front of goal.

While Havertz is not solely to blame, his sub-par performances are, at the very least, part of the issue. Deploying Smith Rowe in this position could help the side unlock defences with far more frequency.

Smith Rowe does not necessarily have the raw numbers to support this theory, having registered just four assists in his last two Premier League campaigns, as per Sofascore, but, I do believe he has the ability to improve this area of his game, especially if he were to be used in a more central position to what he has been previously.

Continued on the next slide…