Aston Villa have seen their approach for one of their long-term transfer targets get knocked back.
It’s been a frustrating transfer window for Aston Villa so far.
Unai Emery has earmarked several areas that need strengthening and while he’s not seen any players arrive through the door, Villa have been working hard behind the scenes to bolster their talented squad.
The Spaniard is aiming to add a certain demographic of players to his side, namely youngsters who boast enormous potential.
As such, the Villans are close to announcing 18-year-old right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic as their first signing while 22-year-old goalkeeper Hákon Rafn Valdimarsson and teenage striker Jovan Mijatovic are also on the agenda.
It appears to be good news on that front, however, Emery has seen an approach for one of his long-term targets get knocked back after hearing of the player’s preference.
Aston Villa’s approach for Emile Smith Rowe gets knocked back
Aston Villa’s admiration for Arsenal’s attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe dates back to 2021.
During Dean Smith’s tenure as manager, he tried to sign the youngster on a season-long loan from the Gunners.
The Englishman instead continued his development at the Emirates and reached double figures for Premier League goals in the 2021/22 campaign, drawing “special” praise from Jamie Carragher.
Unfortunately, injuries have prevented him from kicking on and he’s now being used sporadically by Mikel Arteta.
Smith Rowe’s lack of minutes has lured interest towards him and the Daily Mail have reported that Arsenal have rebuffed approaches from Villa, Newcastle and West Ham United, who wanted to take the 23-year-old on loan.
In light of this speculation, Arteta has played down rumours of him leaving the club in this window.
“I’m really happy with Emile. He’s in the right trajectory,” Arteta said.
“Now, he’s settled, he’s training really well and you know I’m not going to talk about individual situations.”
The Smith Rowe rumours can be put to bed
Although it would be beneficial for Smith Rowe to leave the club on loan for regular minutes, the rumours of him doing so can be well and truly put to bed.
Aston Villa have endured a long-running saga between them and the Arsenal man, but it’s best if they move on to other targets instead.
Smith Rowe is, indeed, the profile of player that Emery is looking for. He’s great at receiving the ball in between the lines and ghosting into the box.
Villa could do with that type of player in their midfield, someone who can thread the ball through the eye of a needle and link play well.
In recent weeks, Emery’s side have struggled to put the ball in the back of the net but having a creative metronome to feed their forward players could make all the difference.
