According to Football.London, Arsenal expect to complete a loan deal for starlet Emile Smith Rowe this week.
What’s the word?
The academy product has struggled to make a significant impression this season, making just six senior appearances, with only 97 minutes of Premier League football under his belt.
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The second-half campaign of the last year saw him move on loan to RB Leipzig, and according to Football.London, another spell away is now on the cards for the 19-year-old. The report claims the Gunners have received loan offers from Premier League and Championship sides, with the club’s transition team still compiling a final shortlist of options – it is further suggested that a deal could be done in time for him to feature in fixtures this weekend.
Edu’s oversight
Having arrived in the summer as the club’s technical director following his stint working with Brazil, Invincibles hero Edu has had a lot on his plate already this season – not least the whole process of removing Unai Emery and replacing him with Mikel Arteta.
The north London side’s official website revealed that as part of his remit, he would “coordinate the work of our first-team coaching group, the academy and player scouting and recruitment in order to oversee the constant building up and efficient strengthening of our squad”.
Naturally, the futures of the club’s academy players is of utmost interest to him, and whilst sending Smith Rowe certainly has some logic in terms of getting him first-team football, it may not be the right move now. Arteta’s arrival in December means the Gunners have a head coach who has been credited with personally improving the likes of Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane whilst at Manchester City.
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He could have a similarly inspirational effect on someone like Smith Rowe, who would benefit enormously from the one to one coaching. Further to that, staying at the Emirates for the remainder of the season would allow him to see first-hand what the new coach wants from his players, and get acclimatised to that for the beginning of the new campaign. A loan would potentially do him more harm than good, and it’s why this could go down as Edu’s first major mistake.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans have hailed this ace who Mikel Arteta could work wonders for.
