As one of their own, Smith Rowe is a player who has a special place in Arsenal fans’ hearts, and many didn’t want him to leave this summer.
Speaking on the Handbrake Off Podcast, Adrian Clarke has been discussing Smith Rowe’s impending departure from north London.
Clarke says that he understands why Smith Rowe is going due to his lack of minutes, but, interestingly, the pundit stated that he would rather have seen Fabio Vieira sold this summer.
Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Everton FC at Emirates Stadium on May 19, 2024 in London, England.
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Fabio Vieira should’ve left before Emile Smith Rowe
Clarke spoke about the two attacking midfielders.
“Mikel and Edu are invested in Fabio Vieira aren’t they. One of them had to go this year, their combined minutes weren’t enough for their talent really. I would’ve preferred to have kept Emile, but sometimes you have to free someone up and let them go and have a successful career, and hopefully he will.”
Emile Smith Rowe sale made more sense
As much as it hurts for Arsenal fans, selling Emile Smith Rowe this summer did make sense.
£34m is a great deal for a player who has barely played for the past two years, and due to his status as an academy graduate, that money will be able to be put through the books as pure profit.
There is an argument to make that Smith Rowe is a more talented player than Vieira, but the £35m man does have bags of unfulfilled potential and Mikel Arteta is said to be a big fan of the midfielder.
Whether or not selling Smith Rowe proves to be a mistake remains to be seen, but from a business perspective, this is a deal that makes plenty of sense.
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