Mikel Arteta is set to ring the changes for tonight’s Carabao Cup third-round tie at Brentford, with Emile Smith Rowe among the Arsenal fringe players in contention for a rare start.
Not so long ago, the idea of Smith Rowe being restricted to the early rounds of the cups and brief cameos from the bench would have appeared far-fetched but, remarkably, the midfielder is in line for his first competitive start since May 16, 2022 — a run stretching 499 days.
Last season, Smith Rowe managed just 195 minutes across 14 appearances, all as a substitute, and it has been a familiar story so far this term, during which he has amassed a little more than 25 minutes from the bench.
Smith Rowe remains one of Arsenal’s favourite sons, illustrated by his raucous reception as a second-half substitute during last week’s 4-0 dismantling of PSV Eindhoven, but it has been quite a decline for the 23-year-old, who was not so long ago a key player in Arteta’s revolution and starting — and scoring — for the England senior side.
Since bagging 10 goals in 33 appearances in 2021-22, spearheading the club’s revival after a difficult first three games, Smith Rowe looked destined for the very top, but an operation on a long-term Achilles injury this time last year sidelined him for more than four months, and in his absence Arsenal evolved.
“There’s been many reasons why he hasn’t started a match. He was out for a long, long time,” Arteta said.
“He had a sequence of matches that he played with the national team, then he came in and didn’t participate. In the last two matches he’s played more minutes, and tonight he will have a big chance to show he can play at this level and be a really important player.
“He needs time on the pitch, he needs opportunities, and we want to provide that to him. Then he needs to prove it like anybody else on the field that he deserves to play.”
Smith Rowe offered a timely reminder of his quality over the summer, starring for England in their successful Under-21 European Championship campaign, and was the subject of interest from Chelsea in the summer, with the Blues willing to pay upwards of £40million.
Though Smith Rowe has slipped behind Fabio Vieira and summer signing Kai Havertz in the pecking order, Arteta has insisted he never considered letting him leave the club.
“No. He needs to be a big part of this team,” the Spaniard said. “But he is clear on what he needs to do. He needs to perform on the pitch, to give the best for us and to win games for us.”
With Arsenal missing forwards Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka at Gtech Community Stadium, this evening’s game is a huge opportunity for Smith Rowe to force his way back into Arteta’s first-team plans.
The best position for Emile is in those pockets.
With Saka also a doubt for Saturday’s game against Bournemouth, risking his club-record stretch of 86 consecutive starts in the Premier League, Smith Rowe could even force himself into contention for a start at the weekend, although Arteta has played down the chances of using him as an auxiliary winger.
“The best position for Emile is in those pockets,” Arteta added. “It is not to play as a pure winger.”
Meanwhile, Thomas Frank is set to put his faith in young players with Kevin Schade the latest player to join Brentford’s mounting injury list.
Schade will require groin surgery, ruling him out for several months, after being injured in the warm-up of the defeat by Everton, joining Ben Mee, Mikkel Damsgaard, Rico Henry, Shandon Baptiste and Josh Dasilva on the sidelines, while Ivan Toney will not return from his ban until January.
“I have big belief in our young players, but they need time to settle in,” said Bees boss Frank. “I will put as strong a team as possible out there.”
