"I don’t sense any movement" - Arsenal star unlikely to leave in the winter window reports David Ornstein
Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe is not expected to leave the club permanently in January, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein. The English attacker could, however, be seen securing a loan move in the winter window.
Smith Rowe has struggled for game time since the 2021-22 campaign. He was an important player for Mikel Arteta that season, registering 10 goals and two assists in 33 Premier League appearances.
The England international has had injury problems and has fallen down the pecking order at the north London outfit. He has made only 18 Premier League appearances since the beginning of last season.
Many expected Smith Rowe to leave Arsenal in search of game time and given the club's FFP issues, offloading the seldom-used attacking midfielder made sense. However, Ornstein reports that Smith Rowe has not attracted interest for a permanent transfer.
The journalist said (via The Boot Room):
“Do they have to raise money through departures? Most likely, there are assets there such as Eddie Nketiah who is liked by Crystal Palace, I don’t sense any movement with Smith Rowe leaving permanently in January, maybe that one would be addressed in the summer and maybe there’d be some loan interest, but that’s not the sort of thing that would raise money unless it was a permanent departure."
Arsenal will next face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on January 20 at the Emirates.
"He’s not scoring goals" - Pundit says Arsenal star's 'confidence is shattered' after recent performances
The Gunners have suffered a dip in form recently, ending 2023 with back-to-back defeats in their London derbies. Their start to the New Year was no better, getting knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool.
Arsenal's recent setbacks have cost them their position as league leaders, moving down to fourth place in the Premier League table, five points behind Jurgen Klopp's side.
Pundit John Giles has highlighted Arsenal star's performances in particular. He believes Kai Havertz has lost his confidence amidst the club's struggles.
Giles said (via The Boot Room):
“They don’t look it at the moment. Who is there who you can depend on to score the goals? They don’t look like they have, Havertz, he looks as if his confidence is shattered, watching the game against Liverpool, they made chance after chance, and he had about three chances and he mis-controlled the ball on three occasions, which is the worst thing you can do as a striker, whether he’s nervous, it doesn’t matter, if he’s not scoring goals, he’s not scoring goals."
The German international had a good run of goalscoring form in the last two months of 2023, scoring against Brighton, Brentford, Luton Town, and RC Lens in the Champions League.
The former Chelsea star has not found the back of the net since his goal against the Seagulls in December.