How did Emile Smith Rowe become Arsenal’s new no. 10?

Emile Smith Rowe has officially committed his future to Arsenal by signing a five-year deal and has taken the prestigious number 10 shirt in the process. 

The improved terms and new shirt number are a just reward for the youngster’s impressive, mature displays last season, and accurately reflect his importance to the team.

Fellow Hale End graduate Bukayo Saka has earned a great deal more attention to this point, switching to the number seven shirt ahead of the last campaign and being picked regularly for an England squad that made it to the final of the European Championships. 

Smith Rowe was never really in contention for selection and, to those without any affiliation to Arsenal, fans’ excitement over the attacking midfielder’s extension – and indeed their disdain at the bids reportedly submitted by Aston Villa – is perhaps a little bewildering.

Make no mistake, however, that tying ‘The Smith’ – as he was referred to in an interview by new signing Nuno Tavares from Benfica – down to fresh terms is as important as any new signing that Arsenal may bring in this summer.

Smith Rowe the catalyst

Smith Rowe’s haul of four goals and eight assists in 2,220 minutes across all competitions (which works out to almost a goal or assist every other game), is a solid return for a player who has only just turned 21.

However, his overall tally is less eye-catching than, say, Phil Foden’s, who is the same age and plays in largely the same areas of the pitch, but notched 16 goals and 10 assists in 3,374 minutes across all competitions for Manchester City last term. 

Whilst it is true that Smith Rowe can improve further in front of goal – something he has acknowledged and challenged himself on – the Hale End graduate’s importance to the team cannot be overstated. 

In the first 14 Premier League fixtures of last season, manager Mikel Arteta was left without a creative spark as Mesut Ozil had been frozen out of the team and Arsenal found themselves in 15th place, just four points above the relegation zone. 

However, between Smith Rowe’s first Premier League appearance of the season – a 3-1 victory over Chelsea in which he notched an assist – and the end of the campaign, Arsenal earned 47 points, the most of any team in that period bar runaway champions Manchester City. 

Arsenal picked up just 19 points from the 20 Premier League games in which Smith Rowe either did not feature, or played for less than half an hour. In the other 18 fixtures, the Gunners accumulated 42 points from a possible 54.

Another creative midfielder is needed

Those numbers speak volumes about the impact Smith Rowe has on this Arsenal team. Of course, as good as the 21-year-old is, the creative responsibility for a side with aspirations of returning to the Champions League cannot rest solely on one man’s shoulders.

The club’s recruitment team clearly agree, given the various links to the likes of Leicester City’s James Maddison or Lyon’s Houssem Aouar, while Real Madrid’s Martin Odegaard is another option following his recent loan spell at the Emirates. 

Should a big-money move for a creative midfielder materialise, it would only be logical to assume that the new arrival will expect regular minutes. However, do not expect Smith Rowe’s role to be diminished. 

The youngster showed versatility in playing on the left wing to accommodate a second playmaker and affected the game well from that position with his driving runs, incisive passing and sharp movement.

Alternatively, the possibility remains that Arteta will attempt to field two attacking midfielders in a 4-3-3 with a lone pivot, as Manchester City frequently do.

Jack Wilshere, the last Hale End graduate to wear Arsenal’s esteemed number 10 shirt, sadly failed to fulfil his obvious potential. However, hopes are high that Smith Rowe can take that next step and be influential as the Gunners attempt to return to the Champions League and the eventual pursuit of major silverware.