"They will look back on and see him as one that got away" - Pundit believes Arsenal made transfer mistake by selling star last summer
Former footballer-turned-pundit Jamie O’Hara reckons that Arsenal made a mistake by selling academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham in the last summer transfer window. O’Hara believes the Gunners will come to rue their decision in hindsight after parting ways with the English midfielder.
Smith Rowe was promoted to Arsenal senior team in 2020, and he broke into Mikel Arteta’s first team. However, his playing time was reduced in the 2023/24 season, and the club eventually sold him to Fulham in the summer for a reported fee of £34 million.
Amidst Arsenal’s recent struggles this season, Jamie O’Hara looked into the woes that have plagued the Gunners. He feels their decision to sell Smith was a costly mistake. He said (via Metro):
''Arsenal have left themselves short by selling Emile Smith-Rowe. They relied on Martin Odegaard staying fit and they didn’t bring in a centre forward. They’ve had to play Kai Havertz in the No. 10 and work Leandro Trossard in there – it hasn’t quite worked out for them.
''Emile Smith Rowe is a very talented player – maybe that’s the one they will look back on and see him as one that got away, now they’re in a situation where they are struggling without Odegaard. Reiss Nelson was good for Fulham the other day as well and would have a place in this set up.’’
Smith Rowe has enjoyed ample playing minutes since he joined Fulham, as he has featured in every match for the Cottagers this season. Till date, he has scored two goals and provided two assists in 12 appearances across competitions.
Ian Wright says Arsenal are missing Smith Rowe
Apart from Jamie O’Hara, Arsenal legend Ian Wright also believes that the Gunners are missing Smith Rowe following Martin Odegaard's absence due to injury. Wright said that Rowe would have filled the void left by Odegaard if the former was still at the club.
The Gunners have been massively affected by injuries, as a lot of their key players have been on the sidelines for months. Odegaard hasn’t featured for the north London club since September after he picked up an injury against Austria in the Nations League. His absence seems to be proving costly for the Gunners as they have only won two of their last six matches across competitions. Meanwhile, Ian Wright thinks the result could have been different if they still had Smith Rowe in their ranks. He said via (Arsenal Insider):
“We’ve got no answer to Odegaard not being there at the minute. You look at…I’m pleased to see Emile Smith Rowe kind of doing well as well as that number 10, but they had to make a decision [to sell him].
“Same with Fabio Vieira – I don’t think it really worked out for him for some reason. When you look at Odegaard at the void that’s left, I’m not saying I’ll keep Emile Smith Rowe, because I don’t think he’s the same kind of player. But he plays in an area of the field where he gets on the ball, he creates, he tries to go forward – he does.
“And I think that we missed that the other day [vs Newcastle]. We were playing this like horseshoe football. We didn’t feel penetrative or dangerous at all.”
Arsenal will play their next match on November 10, as they will travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in the Premier League.