28 September 2023 , 23:00
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Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe has shed light on the fight for first-team action at Arsenal with comments that Aaron Ramsdale may sit up and take notice of.
Gunners academy graduate Smith Rowe burst onto the scene in late 2020 and was a shining light in some of the darkest days in Arsenal history. The 2021/22 campaign saw the England international net 10 league goals, but last season passed the 23-year-old by without so much as a single strike to his name across all competitions.
Surgery at the tail-end of 2022 curtailed Smith Rowe's campaign last time out, but was he fit enough to be named in match-day squads by January. Still, actual time on the pitch proved hard to come by and Wednesday night's win away at Brentford in the Carabao Cup marked Smith Rowe's first start for the club in 499 days.
Alongside him in the line-up was goalkeeper Ramsdale, who started this season as first-choice shot-stopper but appears to have lost his place to summer signing David Raya. It is Raya who started the last two Premier League games and was also between the sticks for the Champions League game in between.
However, Smith Rowe's post-match remarks regarding his own battle to get back into the side may serve as inspiration to Ramsdale as he gears up for a fight for the no. 1 spot. “Being at a massive club like Arsenal, we know there is so much competition," he admitted.
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"It is always going to be challenging, it is always going to be difficult to cement your place in the team. I have just got to keep believing in myself. Coming back and not quite getting back into the team, I have had to stay strong in my head and try to stay as positive as I can."
Smith Rowe was gracious enough to praise his manager Mikel Arteta for his role in the recovery process, which may ease any fears Ramsdale could have had about being left out in the cold. “I think the gaffer has really helped me with that [staying positive]," he added.
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Emile Smith Rowe's story could serve as inspiration for team-mate Aaron Ramsdale"He was helping me through my injury and often pulled me for chats about how I can be mentally stronger, stuff like that.”
Arteta himself also commented on Ramsdale's situation after the goalkeeper's first start since the win over Manchester United at the beginning of this month.
After a number of questions on the matter, the Arsenal boss hit back in defiant fashion by claiming: "I don’t think I’m the one to ask the quality of Aaron Ramsdale, because I was the one that I brought him when everyone was questioning that decision."