According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe could be sidelined for up to two weeks after sustaining a head injury during the EFL Cup third-round clash against Nottingham Forest. The youngster played the first-half before being stretchered off as he ultimately made way for Bukayo Saka.
Is Smith Rowe good enough to play for the Arsenal first-team?
The lack of reliable options in the attacking department has forced Unai Emery to rely upon his young, academy stars this season. Fortunately for the Gunners, their academy has produced some excellent talents in recent years.
As a result, the Spaniard has no shortage of options, with players like Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and even Saka making a lot of noise so far this season. Smith Rowe, to that end, may not belong to that same category.
While he is just as young as Nelson, he is far less experienced when compared to the winger, who already enjoyed an excellent loan spell at Hoffenheim last season.
Even the likes of Willock and Maitland-Niles have far more experience at the highest level of football, with the latter already making 75 competitive appearances for the Gunners. And this is affecting Smith Rowe’s performances at the senior level this season.
Indeed, the 19-year-old has failed to impress in both of his first-team appearances. And following the head injury, it is perhaps wiser for Emery to not use the youngster as a first-team option as frequently. Ideally, the Spaniard should send him out on loan in the upcoming January transfer window.
More chances for Saka & Martinelli?
Smith Rowe’s lack of involvement in the first-team would only encourage Emery to hand more opportunities to Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, who have both shown a lot of potential this season.
Saka, in particular, made quite an impact after replacing Smith Rowe in the 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest in midweek. The winger also starred in the win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League last week.
As for Martinelli, he scored a brace against Nottingham and impressed the onlookers with his sublime control and intelligent movements in the final third. He is also aggressive in the way he approaches the game and his hunger to do well could make him a potential first-team option for Emery someday.
Smith Rowe, meanwhile, is also a talented individual. But, moving to some other club on loan could be a more logical decision for him at the moment. Perhaps he could follow on the footsteps of Nelson and join a Bundesliga outfit.
