Emile Smith Rowe, 18 years old product of the Arsenal Youth Academy is looking all set to make his full fledged debut for the Gunners in the upcoming Carabao Cup fixture against Brentford.
The teenager impressed the fans and the boss Unai Emery when he was called up for replacing Alex Iwobi against Vorskla in the Europa League last week.
The English teenager reportedly signed a 5 year contract with Arsenal under Emery this July. Smith Rowe was described as a player with lots of potential by the Spaniard and has lived up to the comment by his spectacular performances in the preseason International Cup games in Singapore. In the International Champions Cup he scored against Atletico Madrid and assisted a goal in the Arsenal’s 5-1 demolition of PSG.
Naturally an attacking midfielder, he has also been deployed as a wide midfielder and doesn’t disappoint.
The Armenian Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who finished the Vorskla match with a bad ankle and missed the Everton fixture would be replaced by Smith Rowe. Smith Rowe would take on the senior player’s wide midfielder position in the Carabao Cup fixture.
Proud moment making my @EuropaLeague debut tonight..⚽️ thanks for all the support..🙏 pic.twitter.com/ZZce5TMfkU
— Emile Smith Rowe (@emilesmithrowe) September 20, 2018
The Arsenal senior team is now plagued with the injuries of the skipper Laurent Koscielny, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Sead Kolasinac, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Carl Jenkinson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. The extent of the ankle injury of Mkhitaryan is yet unclear but rumors suggest that it is a minor one and he would soon return to training in the Emirates. By judging the way things are now, he would miss out on the clash against Brentford paving the way for Smith Rowe’s spot in the line up.
The defense wouldn’t be shaken up much with only Sokratis being mostly replaced by the Greek Konstantinos Mavropanos against the Bees. The dynamic duo of Alexander Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would likely be put to rest and be replaced by Eddie Nketiah and Danny Welbeck.
The London born wonderkid mesmerized the fans by his out of the world dribbling skills in the FA Youth Cup and is known to be aggressive and extremely effective in dead ball scenarios.
Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere was all praise for the Smith Rowe,
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“When he has stepped up to the first team, he hasn’t looked out of place and that’s a sign of someone who has a real opportunity of not just making a career, but playing at this club, which I know is difficult.”
– Wilshere on Smith Rowe[/perfectpullquote]
Smith Rowe has been a constant in the England youth teams U16, U17, U18 team and is the first player born in the 21st century to debut for the Arsenal senior team.
The wonderkid would have all eyes trained on him when the Gunners host the Championship team Brentford at the Emirates and his performance in the clash could potentially seal a spot for him in the aging senior squad.
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