Emile Smith Rowe was able to catch the eye with an energetic cameo against Newcastle United on Saturday evening.
Emile Smith Rowe took another step forward in his quest to revive his Arsenal career against Newcastle United.
Having just returned from a short injury lay-off, Smith Rowe was afforded a brief outing against the Magpies, once the Gunners were already 4-0 up. The Hale End academy graduate replaced club captain Martin Odegaard in the 76th minute.
Since the start of last season, the 23-year-old has been very much on the fringes of Mikel Arteta’s squad. Injuries have had a huge impact on his career in this time, whilst the form of the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, amongst others, has seen the three-cap England international slip down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium.
However, Arteta has insisted that Smith Rowe remains in his plans. There is no doubting the midfielder’s talent, and he has shown that he can thrive on the Premier League stage before. He was last a regular starter for Arsenal in the 2021/22 season. Over the course of that campaign, Smith Rowe scored 10 Premier League goals and established himself as a player with vast potential.
Emile Smith Rowe makes Arsenal progress against Newcastle
Despite only being afforded a brief runout against Newcastle, Smith Rowe was still able to show flashes of that quality. He worked hard, pressing high, and was progressive on the ball. He also came agonisingly close to scoring his first Arsenal goal since 2022, when his late effort was blocked on the line by Dan Burn.
As reported by journalist James Benge on X, in his 14 minutes on the pitch, Smith Rowe managed to amass four touches in the Newcastle penalty area. Not one single player on the visiting team managed so many touches in the Arsenal box throughout the entire match.
Aside from the frustration of not getting on the scoresheet, the only other blemish on Smith Rowe’s outing came when Joe Willock netted a late consolation goal for the Magpies. Smith Rowe allowed the former Arsenal man to run off of him too easily as he made his way into the box, before looping a header over David Raya.
All in all, though, these were promising minutes for the player to get under his belt. Smith Rowe remains determined to fight for his Arsenal future. If he is to have any kind of long-term career in north London, he needs to take every chance he gets to impress in what remains of this season.