Aston Villa have launched a bid of around £25m to acquire the services of Arsenal’s young and coveted midfielder Emile Smith Rowe. Dean Smith’s team have been interested in the attacking midfielder for quite some time now and the Telegraph first reported it a week ago. However, Arsenal straightaway rejected the bid on Wednesday evening and it is still unknown whether the Villans will return with an improved figure.
🚨 Exclusive: Arsenal reject bid of around £25m from Aston Villa for midfielder Emile Smith Rowe. #AFC working to renew 20yo’s contract — which ends in 2023 — & have no interest in selling. #AVFC pursuit underlines their ambition this summer @TheAthleticUK https://t.co/sPsrVzOVw4
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 16, 2021
The Gunners and Smith Rowe’s camp have been in talks for a contract extension for several months, but nothing has been agreed yet. With two years left on the current deal of the Englishman, other teams are throwing themselves in contention to sign the talented playmaker.
According to Daily Mail, even Spanish giants Real Madrid are interested in landing the 20-year-old, who shone for the North London club in the second half of the campaign. The report further suggested that the 13-time Champions League winners are happy to offer Martin Odegaard as part of the negotiations.
Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of the Norwegian, but these reports land more in the category of ‘rumours’ rather than news. Arsenal are still confident of tying down Smith Rowe, who scored four goals and assisted seven after he broke into the first-team picture against London rivals Chelsea on Boxing Day last season.
Personal Viewpoint: Selling Emile Smith Rowe to Aston Villa would be the final nail on the coffin of the trust that Arsenal fans have in the club’s board. Countless poor decisions have been made by the board in recent years. But offloading Smith Rowe, who is a young midfielder with huge potential, can top it off.
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Players like the under-21 international are the ones around which Arteta should be building his squad around. Thus, the thought of cashing on him looks short-sighted. When Arsenal looked for a spark in their dismal start to the campaign last season, it was the young guns that provided it. It’s the youngsters who demanded more consistency from the senior players rather than vice versa.
Arsenal are lucky to boast of several talented up-and-coming players, and letting them go just like that doesn’t appear wise.
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