Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has revealed that Emile Smith Rowe will ‘have his chance’ to play for the Gunners after seeing his game time reduce due to fitness issues.
The 23-year-old has seen his influence wane in the team after picking up an injury last season. However, speaking to the media via transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on X, Arteta gave hope to the midfielder and confirmed he will get an opportunity to impress in tonight’s League Cup clash with Brentford.
“There’s been many reasons why he hasn’t started a match. He was out for a long, long time. Now he’s going to have his chance.”
Arsenal are set to visit the Gtech Community Stadium in the third round of the Carabao Cup tonight. It will be interesting to see how the Spanish manager will set up the Gunners against a tricky opposition.
Smith Rowe made his way through the youth ranks at Arsenal before breaking into the first team in the 2021/22 season, scoring 10 goals in 33 Premier League appearances.
However, injuries have hampered the Englishman’s development in recent months and Arteta has hardly called upon the midfielder despite his return to full fitness.
Will Smith Rowe get back to his best at Arsenal?
In the current campaign, Smith Rowe has once again been a bit-part player so far for Arsenal, playing around 20 minutes against PSV Eindhoven and coming on as a substitute in the final minutes of the 2-2 draw versus Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The challenge for Smith Rowe seems to be the competition from Martin Odegaard, the club captain and the go-to number 10 for Arteta, and Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
However, with both Martinelli and Trossard on the sidelines, it feels like the right moment for Arteta to give Smith Rowe his opportunities in the team and see if the midfielder can regain his previous form and live up to his £30 million valuation.
Brentford won’t be an easy game though. Thomas Frank will be keen to get their season going after a disappointing start, and with Arteta expected to field a weakened team, it’s not going to be easy for Smith Rowe to showcase his abilities.
