Arsenal are close to selling Emile Smith Rowe to Fulham, in the club’s biggest sale yet

Arsenal and Fulham seal deal for Emile Smith Rowe in major Gunners sale, according to a report from David Ornstein.

Arsenal previously rejected a £30million bid for the Hale End Academy product, but Fulham came back with an improved bid worth £35million. Once the deal is completed, the move will match Arsenal’s biggest ever sale when the Gunners sold Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool. The transfer would also be a record acquisition for Fulham.

Ornstein reported earlier this week that Mikel Arteta and the club would rather sell other players than Smith Rowe, but he will not stand in the player’s way if he wants a move and the right offer comes in. Smith Rowe is yet to be tested again and complete personal goals, but Smith Rowe will see that he will get more first-team minutes at Craven Cottage than at the Emirates Stadium.

The sale of Smith Rowe would be pure profit considering he came through the Arsenal academy.

Smith Rowe was a key member of Arsenal’s 2020/21 and 21/22 squads as the club moved into a transition phase. When the team faced two title challenges after that, Smith Rowe suffered and saw his first team minutes dwindle in the form of Granit Xhaka, the arrival of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz.

Even when Havertz was tasked with taking the 8-man outfit on the left side going up, Arteta preferred a midfield three of Martin Odegaard, Rice and Jorginho. Smith Rowe has started just three Premier League games since August 2022. The Englishman has made 115 appearances for Arsenal scoring 18 goals after making his debut in 2019.

Once the deal is complete, Arsenal still need midfield depth and a left-back. The fans were always complaining that the team was more stagnant in points last year compared to the previous season with Xhaka.

Arteta’s side have been linked with the likes of Mikel Merino this summer after agreeing a deal with Bologna for the transfer of Riccardo Califiori. Leicester City have also been linked with a move for another Hale End product, Reiss Nelson.

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