It’s a bank holiday Monday here, but I don’t work in a bank so it’s not a holiday for me. Nevertheless, I did have a bit of extra sleep, so there is that.
Let’s start today with a rumour involving Emile Smith Rowe and Fulham, who are said to be interested in the 23 year old. I like him as a player, but I think we have to realistic about what’s been happening with him, and what that means for his future. I wrote about him, and a couple of other players, last week – and the numbers tell the story.
He started just 3 of the 31 Premier League games he was in the squad for, and amassed just 345 minutes for the entire season (cup games not included). With two years left on his contract it seems obvious that now is probably a good time for him to make a move as a player, and for Arsenal to cash in. Remember, this time last year there were rumours of his departure swirling around after he played just 161 minutes of league football, albeit in a season disrupted by injury and surgery.
Back then, Arsenal were unequivocal in discussions with him and his representative that they did not want to let him go. I’m sure that’s because they wanted to see if he could recapture the form that helped earn him the number 10 shirt. Could he fight his way back into contention? Because if so, we would have had a great option at our disposal.
Obviously I don’t know enough about what goes on on the training ground to make any definitive statements about how hard he worked or how hard he tried to force his way into Mikel Arteta’s plans, but what we can say is that his playing time is fairly instructive as to where he stands. Yes, there was a glimmer of hope on the final day when he was first off the bench to help us get a goal, but it could also tell you just as much about the likes of Fabio Vieira and Eddie Nketiah and where they stand in the manager’s pecking order.
So, if there was a decent offer from Fulham, I suspect Arsenal would be willing to take it, and it’s the kind of move that would be relatively easy to live with when you’re losing a home-grown player who is held in good regard. It just remains to be seen what that offer is like, and how much we can generate for a player whose progression to first team via the Academy means any fee would be ‘pure profit’.
It might also have an impact on what happens with Vieira too, because it’s hard to see Arsenal let both of them go this summer. Again, it may depend on whatever kind of offer we receive (if any), but given the level of investment in the former Porto man, Arsenal might feel they need to try and rehabilitate his reputation a little before they sell. More involvement with us, perhaps, or even a loan move to boost his value, but again that leaves the squad a little light. One to keep an eye on, I guess.
The other transfer story doing the rounds over the weekend involved Jakub Kiwior and interest from AC Milan. I’d be a bit surprised if we let him go, as he is de facto back-up to Gabriel as a left-footed centre-half. We do have Takehiro Tomiyasu who can play there, although it’s slightly risky to bank on his fitness, while the availability of Jurrien Timber means Ben White or even William Saliba could deputise there if required, but with rumours of Oleksandr Zinchenko’s departure, I’d be inclined to keep Kiwior to provide defensive depth. Unless, of course, there was a significant amount of money on offer, and perhaps a signing who could cover both left-back and LCB.
Right, not a lot else going on this morning. For scheduling reasons, we won’t be recording the Arsecast Extra until tomorrow, so for now, have a good Monday and we’ll be back tomorrow with more.