The Gunners had turned down a bid of as much £30m from Aston Villa for him and Smith Rowe rewarded them with 11 goals in 33 games, his best ever season. He made his England debut, scored his first international goal and would probably have made it to the 2022 World Cup had a groin issue not reoccured, forcing him to have surgery that kept him out for three months.
Now back fit, he showed on Wednesday a glimpse of the player that convinced Arsenal to turn down bidders and hand him a big contract. But his very appearance was a symptom of the fixture list and an indicator that Mikel Arteta was resting players. Five changes were made in all, and alongside the Englishman in midfield was Thomas Partey, making his first start for eight months.
On the opposition bench, Luton manager Rob Edwards was hardly celebrating when he saw Smith Rowe on the teamsheet instead of Jorginho.
“I was lucky enough – he probably won’t remember this – but I did a few camps with him with the U20s when I was working at the FA and I thought he was outstanding,” said Edwards.
“We won 4-0 in Portugal and he was brilliant, so I’ve always been a big admirer of his.
“He’s a top player. They’ve got a lot of top players and it’s just been unfortunate he’s not been able to get in. But I think he’s an exceptional player.”
Smith Rowe went on to win the U21s European Championship last summer, further embellishing his reputation in the top echelons of football, including at Arsenal.
“He is a joy to watch him, how he moves, how he changes direction, how physical he was today as well,” Arteta said.
“Without the ball he went to do it and he won a lot of them. I was thinking ‘Yeah, we’ve actually missed him to play forwards and to make things happen’.
“And when Emile is in that in that moment, it’s very difficult to stop him and today he helped us a lot to win the game.”
But the reality that Arteta would never admit is that Arsenal have evolved beyond him. His 12 league appearances last year all came off the bench, just as eight of his 11 this season have. And where would he start in a game that really mattered?
He will not displace captain Martin Odegaard, and does not have the same attributes as Gabriel Martinelli or Bukayo Saka on the wing. Jorginho, who replaced him the dying embers of the game on Wednesday, is more of a technician and metronome in midfield, and will need replacing this summer or the next with a similar style of player. Smith Rowe is talented, but he is not that archetype – nor should he reinvent himself to fit in.
At his best on Wednesday, Smith Rowe showed his enterprise as a box-to-box midfielder, winning turnovers in his own penalty area and the opposition’s. His interception brought about Arsenal’s first shot of the game, a blocked Kai Havertz drive, he made a crucial intervention in own box to deny Luton theirs and then he capitalised on an error by Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu to trigger a move for the first goal.
Smith Rowe picked Mpanzu’s pocket before feeding Odegaard, who played a one-two with Havertz and produced a precise finish.
And the 23-year-old only had to look a few yards on Wednesday to learn a lesson about career management.
Like his opposite number, Ross Barkley was a highly-rated member of England age-group sides and made his senior debut when barely in his 20s. Barkley did eventually get his move to a “big club” when he went to Chelsea in 2018, but his career stalled badly. He lost his England place, went out on loan and then spent a season in France.
Now back, he has reinvigorated his career at Luton Town. Edwards says he is a crucial dressing room leader and one of the first names on the team-sheet. Luton might not be Premier League next year but it is hard to think Barkley will go down with them. He has made himself a desirable asset again.
It is a humbling move to make, but if Barkley had his time again, you would think he wishes he had made it four years ago. What did he really gain from that season at Aston Villa, often starting but rarely finishing games (he did not play 90 minutes in the league once), or as a bit-part player in the south of France?
The heart wants what it wants of course, and Smith Rowe has been an Arsenal player since the age of 10. He was three the last time they won the title, and if they fall agonisingly short once again this year, he may always regret not staying to help break the drought.
But Smith Rowe has the chance to skip the wilderness years that Barkley endured. To do so though, he will need to be brave.
Arsenal might be ready to let him too. They are not one of those teams who regularly butts up against Financial Fair Play limits but their squad does require significant investment this summer and Smith Rowe, having started at Hale End half his lifetime ago, is FFP gold.
If Aston Villa offered £30m again, would the Gunners entertain it more readily than they did three years ago? The figure might need to be a bit higher, but there would be a conversation, surely. Smith Rowe has two years left on his contract, making this an opportune time to sell.
The midfielder should not turn his nose up at teams below Champions League chasers Villa either. West Ham were a name mentioned in January when some thought he might be looking for a loan move, and he could do a lot worse than working with David Moyes. Chelsea too made an approach last summer – which might be less advisable – but it proves he is a man in demand.
What Smith Rowe should prize from suitors above all is a willingness to make him the main man. He has rarely been afforded such status, and needs someone to let him prove he deserves it.
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