When leaving the Emirates Stadium this summer, Smith-Rowe was sent with kind parting words from Arteta, who admitted he may have failed the player. The Gunners boss said: "When I had the talk with Emile, I really felt it.
"First of all because I have huge gratitude because he came into the team at a tough moment. I think he was the player that made our supporters and the team click, in a way. I don't know how to explain it but that was my feeling. Something changed when he came in the team. He created a different energy straight away.
Mikel Arteta - ‘I have not got the best out of him’
"And I have a feeling like 'argh', that I have not got the best out of him. Obviously a lot of things happened in that time. From my side, it was really sad because I know how those boys feel when they are in that building, how hard everyone works to get them close to the first team, so I feel a huge responsibility to give them the chance."
With two goals and two assists in the league so far for Fulham, Smith-Rowe is taking his chances. However, in a purring 82 minutes against Brentford, it was clear that he offers so much more than that tally.
From the off, the attacking midfielder thrilled Craven Cottage. There was a tangible excitement by the River Thames when the ball fell at his feet with a regular roar when he made driving runs forward.
Smith-Rowe is playing with such confidence too. In one early moment, he turned around to silence defender Calvin Bassey's claims that his positioning was wrong, staying put and darting through the Bees' defence a moment later to tee up Raul Jimenez, who should have scored.
It's impressive how quickly Smith-Rowe has developed a rapport with his teammates. The one and two-touch moves with Antonee Robinson and former Arsenal teammate Reiss Nelson were nothing short of scintillating at times.
There's something very akin to Martin Odegaard in the midfielder's presence for Fulham too. The Arsenal captain sets the pace for the Gunners, both on the ball and off it. At one moment against Brentford, Smith-Rowe clattered into a Brentford man to regain possession after conceding, geeing up his teammates and the stadium.
Marco Silva - Emile Smith-Rowe is ‘rare player’
There are still small areas for improvement. Smith-Rowe is at his best when on the break but perhaps lacks moments of creativity from more static moves. Fulham spent much time camped outside the Brentford box on Monday without a way of getting behind an organised backline until Harry Wilson's mad late brace.
Speaking about the player this summer after signing him, Fulham boss Silva said: "He is a rare player. We were in the market for a player with his profile; we wanted someone that can play there between the lines, can give us a little bit more creativity in that space, a player that can arrive in the box. He has the capacity to do it.
“We defined him as the main target for that position when we felt Arsenal was open to selling him. We worked hard to get him in. His technical quality and creativity is what we need from a player in that decision."
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