Journalist James Benge was speaking to Charles Watts about the futures of several stars at the Emirates.
All is well on the pitch for Arsenal right now as they sit second in the Premier League level on points with leaders Tottenham.
They have the distinct advantage over their North London rivals of having already played and defeated title rivals Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta has determined a settled starting XI with a few trusted substitutes coming off the bench.
The likes of Jorginho and Takehiro Tomiyasu feature nearly every week in the second half of games.
However, several players are starting to find it difficult to earn regular minutes at the club.
Much has been made of Aaron Ramsdale dropping out of the Arsenal team in recent weeks, but Emile Smith Rowe is arguably in an even tougher position.
He’s only played 11 league minutes this season and is relying on cup matches and Champions League cameos for appearances.
It’s looking more and more likely that his future is no longer at his boyhood club.Smith Rowe more likely to leave Arsenal than Ramsdale
Asked who out of Jakub Kiwior, Aaron Ramsdale, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe, is the most likely to leave, Benge said: “It’s probably [Emile] Smith Rowe. I wouldn’t necessarily say that [Jakub] Kiwior’s fallen entirely out of favour, I mean he’s got starts this season.
“For me, it’s Smith Rowe and [Aaron] Ramsdale, but I’ll stick to Smith Rowe.
“It just doesn’t feel like it’s going to happen. I know that again this was another game where it’s not natural to turn to Emile Smith Rowe off the bench.
“But now that Arsenal are getting towards a full-strength squad, it’s just not a player that [Mikel] Arteta’s going to be view as being in the top sixteen.
“I just fear that Arsenal and Arteta if they don’t manage this right, we’ll end up in a similar position to what they were with Kieran Tierney.
“Where they turned an asset that could have been worth £50m into an asset that’s worth half of that.
“It’s really hard right now to see the scenario where Smith Rowe is signing another contract at Arsenal.”
Ramsdale could still be called upon at any moment with Arteta threatening to rotate Arsenal’s two highest-profile goalkeepers, but Smith Rowe appears to be much further down the pecking order.
He’s impressing in training but already links are starting to appear with other clubs.
West Ham reportedly want the England international and Newcastle is a potential destination as well.
The less football Emile Smith Rowe plays over the next few months, the more likely it is that he seeks an exit sooner rather than later.
He’s undoubtedly talented, but his opportunities appear to be more and more limited.
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