TOArsenal were 15th and facing an embarrassing relegation battle at Christmas in 2020. Two youngsters stepped up to pull them out of the mire. Mikel Arteta turned to Emile Smith Rowe to inject creativity alongside the more established but still 19-year-old Bukayo Saka and a team that had taken two points from their previous seven games. got an unexpected victory against Chelsea on Boxing Day.
Smith Rowe, making his third Premier League appearance and first of the season, set up Saka to curl a perfect finish over goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. These were players fans could put their faith in as members of the first team struggled and other academy products have provided moments of unbridled joy under Arteta. Think of Eddie Nketiah’s two goals against Manchester United in January 2023 and Reiss Nelson's left-footed half-volley rocket completed A remarkable turnaround against Bournemouth Later that season.
Nketiah and Nelson have shown they are capable of contributing to a team that is challenging for the title in the 2022-23 campaign. But last season, when Arteta was looking for consistency and less danger, the Hale End boys, with the exception of Saka, were unable to make progress and are now close to elimination.
Smith Rowe, who co-exists with Starboy Saka in the minds of Arsenal fans alongside the beat of Status Quo's Rockin' All Over the World, appears Close to signing for FulhamSmith Rowe was valued at around £35m. This may be considered a success for the academy coaches and provides a net benefit on the financial accounts, but for a player who demanded the No.10 shirt upon signing a new contract in 2021, this is not the direction he or the club were hoping to take at the moment. After Smith Rowe sat out Arsenal’s first pre-season game against Bournemouth in California, Arteta said: “There are things going on in the background at the moment. And we decided it was best to keep him away from the game.”
Smith Rowe appeared in 33 Premier league games in his standout 2021-22 season, contributing 10 goals and two assists. However, he has since started three league games and failed to score a goal. The player formerly known as the “Croydon De Bruyne” has fallen down the pecking order due to injuries and the form of others. On the left of attack, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus have been preferred, in midfield Declan Rice and Kai Havertz have played regular minutes in the left No.8 role and, as Arsenal recruits in midfield, it is vital that Smith Rowe moves on to revive his career.
Nketiah is interested in Marseille. When Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was transferred by Arteta in February 2022, only a fading Alexandre Lacazette was ahead of Nketiah in the pecking order and, when the attack stagnated, the former Chelsea academy player came on and scored two memorable goals to resurrect Arsenal's hopes of a top-four finish in the 2020/21 season. a victory at Stamford Bridge where Smith Rowe and Saka also found the net.
Three academy boys shone together and the platform was there for them to be the face of the club for years to come. In the summer of 2022, Nketiah signed a new contract and was given the number 14 shirt, remembered as Thierry Henry's, but Arsenal They also signed Jesus from Manchester City as their starting striker and he exploded into life, inspiring an unexpected title challenge.
A knee injury to Jesus gave Nketiah the chance to prove he could lead a title-challenging side’s attack and he scored four goals in five Premier League games following the mid-season World Cup. But despite ending that run with a last-minute winner against Manchester United, Nketiah failed to make the breakthrough and has been behind Jesus, Havertz and Trossard for the best part of a year.
Similarly, Nelson was unable to follow up his spectacular winner against Bournemouth. While Saka's great qualities include his consistency and availability, these other three academy graduates have struggled to replicate at least one of them.
As Arsenal's form has risen to consistently challenge for the league title and qualify for the Champions League, Smith Rowe, Nketiah and Nelson have all fallen below the required standards, while Saka is swimming among the world's best and rarely suffers a dip. In an era where players are coming from everywhere and anywhere, fans connect with those who successfully make their way through the academy, but results and performances are what matter most and that means Smith Rowe, Nketiah and Nelson may be ruled out.
