In a recent report, The Daily Mail has stated that Real Madrid want Arsenal playmaker Emile Smith Rowe in exchange for Martin Odegaard this summer. It is believed that the Madrid giants value Odegaard at around £35m but are open to accepting a deal involving Smith Rowe moving to Spain (via The Daily Mail).
Smith Rowe’s Up And Down Season At North London
Smith Rowe had an encouraging season at the Emirates Stadium as he produced a few influential displays as a key playmaker in Mikel Arteta’s attack. The 20-year-old has netted two goals and secured four assists in 20 matches for the Gunners last season in the league.
The London-born talent struggled to be consistent with his offensive contributions based on his average of 0.7 shots, 1.2 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. However, he took care of the ball well when distributing possession in the final third after completing 88.7% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
Smith Rowe has shown some signs of maturity over the past ten months but is still nowhere near ready to feature for a top club like Real Madrid week in week out. Therefore, it is difficult to understand why Los Blancos want the English attacker when he is yet to prove his worth as a consistent performer at the highest level.
Real Madrid Want Smith Rowe In Exchange For Odegaard: Good Move For Everyone Involved?
Smith Rowe is a moderately paced attacker who can make some clever sprints with the ball in the opponent’s half. He can keep possession moving quite well in the final third and can set up some clear-cut chances for his teammates up top. Smith Rowe is primarily an attacking midfielder but can also play as a winger down the left flank if needed.
The English youngster can also score the odd goal from time to time but is in dire need to find some consistency at the top level if he wants to be a world-class player in his position someday. At 20, Smith Rowe has the potential to become a future star in European football and could fill in as a decent squad player at the Spanish capital. Hence, maybe a move involving Smith Rowe moving to Madrid while Odegaard heads to Arsenal could work out for all parties.
Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti should only consider recruiting the English starlet if he plans to give him regular game time at the Bernabeu. Otherwise, he would be better off keeping Odegaard as he seems better-equipped to start for them every week in the upcoming campaign.
