Fulham, Palace could give Arsenal's Smith Rowe a fresh start
Fulham and Crystal Palace are both interested in signing Arsenal‘s Emile Smith Rowe in the latest Premier League transfer rumor. Once considered untouchable, the Gunners may opt to sell the midfielder at some point this summer. This comes as the youngster failed to nail down regular playing time in recent seasons.
Mail Sport reported that Fulham has submitted an official bid for Smith Rowe. However, Arsenal rejected this offer, which hovered around $39 million. The deal, which was immediately rebuffed by the Gunners, also included additional bonuses.
Despite being turned down, Fulham is expected to return with an improved offer. The west London side will have some cash to throw around after they recently sold fellow midfielder Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich. The Cottagers did not want to lose arguably their best player, but they did generate about $55 million in the sale.
Smith Rowe hit with injury bug after breakout 2021/22 season
Fulham, however, will reportedly not be the only Premier League club to target Smith Rowe. The Standard also claims that Palace will soon battle with the Cottagers for the midfielder. Much like Fulham, Palace also recently lost a star to the German giants. The south London side sold winger Michael Olise to Bayern for a fee of $57 million. As a result, Palace officials have a fairly significant hole to fill.
Smith Rowe is certainly an interesting target for the two Premier League teams. The playmaker was previously thought of as one of the top young talents in all of England. After making his initial Arsenal senior appearance back in 2018, the midfielder spent spells on loan at RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town.
The moves seemed to work out, as Smith Rowe became a useful squad player throughout the 2020/21 campaign. He made 33 total senior appearances for the club that season. However, the youngster officially broke out as a budding star the next year.
Arsenal brass awarded Smith Rowe with the highly-coveted number 10 shirt in the summer of 2021 after Mesut Ozil departed for Fenerbahçe. The youngster backed up the bold decision by scoring 10 Premier League goals during the 2021/22 campaign.
While expectations were high at the time, Smith Rowe unfortunately has dealt with a series of injury setbacks. For instance, the midfielder only managed to make 25 total English top-flight appearances over the last two combined seasons. During this timeframe, the attacker suffered groin, knee, and ankle issues.
Transfer would give Emile Smith Rowe more playing time
This precarious injury history may make some teams a little hesitant to make a move for Smith Rowe. Along with the setbacks, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta opted to keep the Englishman on the bench for 18 total Premier League games last season. As a result, the player may be looking to move away from his boyhood club to get more playing time.
Smith Rowe has shown in the past that he can perform well if he is given a chance to shine. Both Fulham and Palace believe that the midfielder can still reach this high level of play in the future. Regular time on the pitch can also actually work with an athlete’s body in keeping them in a healthy routine. Staying fit certainly seems to be the only real obstacle for Smith Rowe.
Possibly moving to either Fulham or Palace would also make sense for the midfielder. He is originally from London and reportedly prefers to stay in the city. Nevertheless, Palace could potentially have an upper hand in their pursuit of the Arsenal attacker.
Along with being close to Smith Rowe’s hometown, Palace could potentially use Eberechi Eze in negotiations with Arsenal. The Gunners have been linked with the England international throughout the summer. It remains unclear, however, if Palace would be willing to lose yet another star this summer.
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