Emile Smith Rowe has shown off a new tattoo sleeve ahead of the crucial North London Derby between Tottenham and Arsenal on Thursday night. The design has a similar look to that of Smith Rowe's Gunners teammate Ben White.
The clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is comfortably the biggest of the season so far for both Mikel Arteta and Antonio Conte with a place in next season's Champions League on the line. As things stand, the Gunners boast a slender two-point advantage but if Spurs can claim all three points they will be in the drivers' seat for the spot.
Qualification for Europe's elite competition would be a huge achievement for Arteta. Prior to the season beginning, few gave them a chance of even qualifying for the Europa League so to go one step further would be some feet. But the Spaniard played down the magnitude of the one-off clash during his pre-match press conference.
READ MORE: Mikel Arteta provides major update on White and Saka's fitness ahead of North London Derby
"It’s the most exciting one [game], probably," he said. "But we had others when we played finals against Chelsea and Liverpool in the FA Cup and the Community Shield, it was the same. When you have the opportunity to achieve one of your objectives in the season, you just cannot wait to play the game because this is a job, and the work you have done throughout the season to try to earn it."
However, he added some more dower news on the injury front: "Thomas [Partey] is still out, Kieran [Tierney] is still out. Ben [White] is a doubt. We’ll have to assess him he’s feeling much better and Bukayo [Saka] is the same."
But even if White is to miss the game, he may still manage to make a tiny mark on the match through Smith Rowe. On Wednesday, the Hale End product completed an impressive new tattoo sleeve, covering the length of his left arm. Featuring a broken clock (likely a reference to the Highbury clock that still hangs at the Emirates), palm trees and a lion, the aesthetic of the design is strikingly similar to White's sleeve which also caused a stir after his move to Arsenal last summer.
