Stan Collymore backs 24-year-old star to be a 'revelation' at new club following Arsenal exit
Pundit Stan Collymore has claimed that outgoing Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe could become a key player at Fulham. The 24-year-old left the Gunners in a £34 million move across London to join the Cottagers.
The former Premier League striker insisted that Smith Rowe was not used enough by Mikel Arteta and believes that he could develop into a key player for Fulham. Speaking to CaughtOffside, he said:
“Fulham’s a great club, they’ve got all of the facilities that a high-profile player would want, and Emile Smith Rowe wouldn’t have to move very far.
“I think it’s just a case of he’s been underused, and when you have a manager like Mikel Arteta, just as he did with Aaron Ramsdale, once you cross the line into being a player that he doesn’t want, he’s not one of those that goes ‘everybody’s got a clean slate here, and we’re going to use lots of different players during the season,’ Arteta has got his ideas who he wants, and based on the ones that he doesn’t want, he expects them then to be moved on fairly quickly.
“I think Fulham will be a revelation for Smith Rowe, and as long as he doesn’t go ‘I’ve come down a step because I was at Arsenal, now I’m at Fulham,’ everything is there for him to progress.”
Smith Rowe barely featured for the side last season, making just 13 appearances in the league out of which only three were starts. In all, he played 19 games, bagging two assists.
Arsenal make progress in deal for La Liga star as they reach agreement on personal terms
Arsenal have cleared a major hurdle in their pursuit of Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino. According to HITC, the player has agreed to a four-year deal with the Gunners. This comes after a report from Fabrizio Romano that claimed that both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona were interested in the player, but it seems that he has his eyes set on a move to the Premier League.
The 28-year-old rejected the La Liga side's latest contract offer, leaving him with just a year to go on his current deal. Arteta's side will now enter into negotiations with Sociedad for the midfielder.
Merino made 45 appearances for them last summer, collecting eight goals and five assists. He will be a key addition to an already strong midfield at Arsenal that contains the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Jorginho and Thomas Partey.