EMILE SMITH ROWE – ARSENAL #10 – SIGNS LONG-TERM DEAL
The best news of the summer dropped on the .com, with Arsenal making Emile Smith Rowe their brand new #10.
This is huge.
The player is a pure manifestation of everything we want out of a young player at Arsenal.
He’s extremely talented.
His attitude is exceptional.
He has an outrageous athletic profile.
He’s a Gooner through and through.
This is a massive win for Edu, who despite his obvious flaws, has made it his mission to stop the flow of young talent exiting the club.
This is also a massive win for Mikel Arteta. There’e a vocal section of the fanbase that keeps telling us he’s bland, a dictator, and bad for young players… yet here we are, another of Hale-Ends finest, putting pen to paper on a long-term deal.
You can say that’s money, but it’s not. Hungry players give a shit about one thing and one thing only… career development. They see a future at Arsenal and you have to be pleased about that.
The other massive win is the new vision for Arsenal. Clearly, we’re ageing down the squad, finally accepting smartest way to the top is to do things properly.
Build a young squad, coach them well, make sure when they hit the Champions League, they are ready to compete for the trophy.
This model is already reaping rewards. Tavares said he wanted to play with The Smith and Saka. Sambi Lokonga had offers from elsewhere in Europe and he chose Arsenal. We are now and attractive option for a younger generation of kids who see London, great training facilities, elite stadium… and the chance to make their mark in the best league.
I’m thrilled about this. Nearly all the young players we wanted to stay are committing their longterm futures to Arsenal. Saka, Martinelli, Emile Smith Rowe, Balogun, Kido Hart, Okowono… what a summer!
Now Edu and his team have to get to work to fill out the rest of the squad.
We still need a Xhaka replacement.
We are in desperate need of additional creativity in midfield.
We don’t have an acceptable right back.
The back-up keeper needs are getting desperate.
There are still 15 centre backs in the squad.
Plenty of work to do, but the summer is starting to feel a little bit sexier, and the mood is starting to lift.
Let’s see what the week ahead has for us.
Emile Smith Rowe, number 10, how very, very exciting.
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We dropped another podcast that we recorded for the video creeeeew. Enjoy. Find my co-host @iJohnnyCochrane.