Aston Villa have made an approach to sign Arsenal ace Emile Smith Rowe on loan.
According to 90min, Aston Villa made contact with Arsenal to discuss a potential loan deal for Emile Smith Rowe. Newcastle United are said to have done the same, whilst Chelsea attempted to sign the 23-year-old on a permanent basis. However, Arsenal rejected all three advances, and are determined to keep the player.
This is not the first time Aston Villa have sought to bring Smith Rowe to Villa Park. The Midlands club made to two bids for the 3-cap England international in the summer of 2021, the second of which was worth £30 million.
Since then, though, Smith Rowe’s career has stagnated somewhat. He only managed 12 Premier League outings last season, none of which were starts, as injuries have hampered his progress. However, the player enjoyed a fine summer and looked full of confidence whilst representing the England under-21 side on their way to their under-21 European Championship triumph.
Aston Villa must give up on Smith Rowe
Unai Emery, who was in charge at Arsenal prior to Mikel Arteta taking on the job, is well aware of what Smith Rowe has to offer. The Spanish coach has been full of praise for the attacking midfielder in the past, lauding “all the qualities he has: physical, mentality and quality with his right foot…If I can say one condition, for me, it’s his mentality.”
It is easy to see why Arsenal would want to keep Smith Rowe. Despite his lack of recent involvement, he still has the capacity to help the Gunners on the pitch this season. From the player’s point of view, though, a switch to Aston Villa may have been a wise choice. At this stage in his career, he needs regular football, which he would stand a great chance of getting at Villa Park.
With just a couple of days left before the transfer window closes though, Aston Villa must give up on their pursuit of Smith Rowe and turn to other targets.
