Arsenal manager Arteta sends message to Smith Rowe after Chelsea transfer link

01 September 2023 , 15:06

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Arsenal manager Arteta sends message to Smith Rowe after Chelsea transfer link

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says Emile Smith Rowe will not be leaving the Emirates on deadline day, despite rumours of interest from Chelsea.

Smith Rowe has not made a Premier League start for the Gunners in over a year, having struggled with injuries last season. As a result, the 23-year-old has fallen down the pecking order and, despite impressing in England's U21 Euros win this summer, he has been an unused substitute in Arsenal's first three league games this season.

However, despite suggestions he could be set to leave the club he has been at since the age of ten, Arteta has confirmed Smith Rowe will remain at Arsenal. The Gunners reportedly rejected an approach from Chelsea, who have since signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City instead, while the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle have also been linked with the playmaker.

But when asked if Smith Rowe would still be at Arsenal when the transfer window slams shut, Arteta emphatically replied: "Yes. The role [for him is] like everybody else does. To try to give his best and make the team better.

"Obviously, I had a conversation with him and it's important to understand where he is. It was always going to be tricky the first three or four weeks. Not just for us, but for all of the clubs where you see all the rumours and all the players who are not playing, they are unhappy not just in this country but in every country.

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"We have just one game per week for a month. Everyone comes to the new season with huge aspirations and there are not minutes for everybody and September will be very different."

Emile Smith Rowe will be staying at Arsenal (Offside via Getty Images)

Speaking back in June, Smith Rowe vowed to "fight for my place and get back in the team" after what he described as the "hardest season of my career". He told the Times : "I just want to be on the pitch. This was the hardest season of my career.

"It was tough, but we were in a title race and I understand the manager isn't going to change the team if we're winning every game. I just tried to stay positive and train as well as I could. The other players and Mikel were great with me, kept me feeling connected. But it was tough, a long season. I won't lie.

"Arsenal are my club and I'm not going to give up until [Arteta] says he doesn't want me. But that's not the case. He wants me as part of the team and I want to fight for my place and get back in the team."

Matthew Cooper