Journalist James Benge has shared what he was told about Arsenal’s asking price when Aston Villa made a £30 million bid for Emile Smith Rowe nearly three years ago.
In truth, it would not be a big surprise to see Emile Smith Rowe leave Arsenal this summer. The 23-year-old has started just two Premier League games since the start of last season.
Smith Rowe has arguably been a victim of Arsenal’s success. He has made 10 appearances in the Premier League this season, while he has been an unused substitute on 11 occasions.
Had Arsenal fans been told a couple of years ago that Smith Rowe would seemingly be on the brink of leaving in 2024, some may have assumed that the Gunners may have been the ones to not actually kick on.
How Arsenal reacted after Aston Villa made £30 million bid for Emile Smith Rowe
Smith Rowe was exceptional in the 2021/22 season, scoring 10 times in the league. With that, it appeared to be such a smart move to reject interest from Aston Villa ahead of that campaign.
Aston Villa made two bids for Smith Rowe. However, Arsenal were not willing to budge. And it seems that they were looking for an astronomical fee before they even considered entering into talks over a sale.
Speaking on Inside Arsenal: Extra Time, Benge was asked what the highest of Villa’s bids for Smith Rowe was.
“£30 million. And at the time I was told, three times that to start the conversation,” he said.
Gunners were absolutely right to reject bid
Smith Rowe’s performances that season highlighted why Arsenal were prepared to demand so much for the academy graduate.
Even now, you have to say that they made the right decision. From the outside, it would be a surprise if Arsenal were willing to accept much less than £30 million this summer, even with how little Smith Rowe has played.
Arsenal are a different animal to the team Smith Rowe came into. And they have so much depth in the final third.
Smith Rowe has the talent to go on and have a brilliant career in the Premier League. And there will be plenty of teams surely open to the idea of paying around £30 million for him this summer.
Perhaps Arsenal will be much more willing to consider such a bid this time around.
The post 'Was told': Journalist shares what he learned about Arsenal's price for Smith Rowe when Villa bid £30m in 2021 appeared first on TBR Football.