29 August 2023 , 21:40
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Arsenal may have no appetite to sell Emile Smith Rowe to Chelsea, but it remains to be seen if Mauricio Pochettino will cease his pursuit of the midfield maestro.
Chelsea's interest in luring Smith Rowe across the capital ahead of Friday's transfer deadline may have come out of the blue, but Pochettino has been a long-term admirer of the Hale End graduate.
After being wowed by the 23-year-old at youth level, Tottenham tried to poach Smith Rowe from their bitter rivals, according to the club's former head of elite potential identification, David Webb - not that they fared very well.
Mirror Football understands that Chelsea are unlikely to pursue a deal for Smith Rowe in the coming days, even though the midfielder has fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates. But the player's links to the Blues are intriguing given he was targeted by a Pochettino team before.
Speaking to The Telegraph back in 2021, Webb said: "He [Smith Rowe] played against Tottenham for the Under-18s and he really stood out in the No. 10 role. It was his movement off the ball that was so eye-catching, and his work-rate as well. For a young player, that sometimes does not come in until later in their development.”
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He added: “We tried to sign him before he signed his scholarship at Arsenal. He was a player that fitted the way Mauricio Pochettino played and even at 16 we were looking at him as a potential young player who could progress into the first team.”
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Arsenal have no interest in selling Smith Rowe before Friday's transfer deadlineSmith Rowe had established himself as a key player under Mikel Arteta before injury struck last season. The Arsenal manager made it clear how highly he rates Smith Rowe back in March - but stressed that the midfielder would have to wait for his chance to get back into the team.
The Spaniard previously said of Smith Rowe: “He knows how much we love him and he knows how much we missed him and how much we need his qualities.
“Now he needs to prove it, he needs to prove how much he wants to win, how much he’s going to contribute to this team to be better and to win. He’s going to have to show that to get in the team.”
While Arsenal are expected to try and shift several players who are surplus to requirements on before Friday's transfer deadline, the Londoners have no appetite to part ways with Smith Rowe - regardless of whether or not there is interest elsewhere in his services.