Emile Smith Rowe has sung the praises of Declan Rice as he closes in on a record-breaking £105million transfer to Arsenal. The Gunners submitted their third proposal, worth £100million up front and a further £5million in add-ons, on Tuesday and since negotiations have taken place with just the final details of the move needing to be sorted.
Manchester City pulled themselves out of the race following the Gunners' triple-figure offer which left West Ham with the easy decision to begin talks regarding the payment structure. For a bid from Emirates Stadium to be accepted, hitting the Hammers' £100million valuation or ensuring a large chunk of the guaranteed funds was available in good terms was crucial.
Arsenal hit West Ham's first requirement, but did not offer a favourable payment structure and that was where talks initially stalled. However, with the Hammers said to want the full up front fee paid by the start of 2025, a breakthrough has been made which could see the intricacies of the move finalised by Monday, according to the Sun.
The arrival of Rice could take Arsenal to the next level with departures for Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey looking likely this summer. Moves for Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber could also see the competition for places grow and one player who will be wary of that is Smith Rowe.
Injuries plagued the majority of the 2022/23 season for the 22-year-old but he has been awarded some valuable game time in England's under-21 European Championship campaign. The Gunners forward has thus far helped the Three Lions finish top of their group with two goals in three games as he featured for 112 minutes.
Speaking ahead of a quarter-final meeting with Portugal, Smith Rowe was asked numerous questions about Arsenal with his verdict on Rice a telling indication of the player the Gunners are about to sign. "I can’t speak highly enough of him," Smith Rowe told the Sun when asked about the 24-year-old. "I remember my first [England] camp and I was surprised with how good he actually was.
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“He was the best in training. Just his level, intensity, technically, everything he was doing. A real leader and still so young. He was really, really good."
When fit last season, Smith Rowe still struggled to get minutes with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli in scintillating form out wide, compounded by the arrival and immediate impact felt by Leandro Trossard. Because of this, Mikel Arteta then chose to begin using time on the training pitch with Smith Rowe to help him develop in an advanced midfield role.
Xhaka, who executed the role perfectly throughout the last season, moving on to sign for Bayer Leverkusen looked set to give Smith Rowe a chance in the role. However, he now faces new competition from Havertz with Arteta believing his best position is in midfield despite Chelsea deploying him at the tip of attack.
Speaking on the signing of Havertz which has already been announced, he said: “I see what happens and obviously it’s good for the club to add strength to the team. I feel like the additions we’re making are going to really help the team progress again.
“It’s really exciting so hopefully we can go one step further next season. Of course (it is extra competition with Havertz arrival), but this is football. You’ve just got to get on with it. I’ve got to keep working hard and it’s healthy competition. I’ve got to keep fighting.”
