Emile Smith Rowe will return to the Emirates for the first time since leaving Arsenal last summer as he prepares to play against his boyhood club with Fulham – with Mikel Arteta previously admitting he had regrets over his exit
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will be reunited with former player Emile Smile Rowe when his side play Fulham on Tuesday, after admitting he “failed” the midfielder when he was at the Emirates. Smith Rowe started his career at Arsenal, joining their Hale End academy at the age of just 10.
He eventually made his breakthrough as one of the clubs most exciting prospects in the 2020-21 season and his progress continued as he netted 11 times from 37 appearances the following campaign in 2021-22, before seeing first team opportunities dwindle after the arrival of Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid.
Smith Rowe played just 33 times across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns as he struggled with injuries and found difficulty finding form again after his recovery. Arsenal eventually made the decision to sell him to Fulham last summer for a club-record of around £34million, which was hard for Arteta to stomach.
Smith Rowe has already featured against his former club once after a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage in December and is now preparing for his first return to the Emirates since leaving.
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Before the first game, Arteta said Smith Rowe’s departure was difficult to cope with because of the impact he had when he arrived in the first team but admitted he hadn’t go the best out of him in the years to come.
“A lot. When I had the talk with Emile, I really felt it. “First of all because I have huge gratitude because he came into the team at a tough moment. I think he was the player that made our supporters, and the team click, in a way. I don’t know how to explain it but that was my feeling. Something changed when he came in the team. He created a different energy straight away.”
“I have a feeling like ‘argh’, that I have not got the best out of him. Obviously a lot of things happened in that time. From my side it was really sad, because I know how those boys feel when they are in that building, how hard everyone works to get them close to the first team. I feel a huge responsibility to give them the chance. And now, can they sustain this level and make us better? That is the idea.”
Smith Rowe has been a success for Fulham under Marco Silva after claiming the first team football he craves, starting 22 times in the Premier League, scoring five times and assisting two.
However, recently his performance levels have dropped off slightly, with just one goal since January. Boss Silva has admitted Smith Rowe has suffered some inconsistency but insisted he “trusted” him to improve in the coming months.
“Some ups and downs, doesn’t surprise us from a player who wasn’t playing a lot of football in the last couple of seasons,” Silva said. “He’s had good games, others not too good. He needs to find his level to perform consistently well – Premier League demands a lot from you.
“We have been working with him, to be in his best physical shape. He has to take some steps soon. I really like him, trust him, he’s had an impact and he will be in the future too.”
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