With the January transfer window nearing its end, there is a sense that there will be no major departures at Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta will work hard to retain his senior players given his inability to make any blockbuster signings.
If Mikel Arteta had to sell one player, Emile Smith-Rowe would have been an easy choice. The Englishman is one of a handful of Arsenal players who haven’t played much this season but are still marketable.
West Ham reportedly attempted to sign Arsenal’s No. 10 on a loan deal, but Arsenal rejected the offer.
One might conclude that this is a clear indication that Smith Rowe is not going anywhere.Interestingly, when discussing the incident involving Smith Rowe leaving on loan to West Ham, Fabrizio Romano hinted that Arsenal’s transfer refusal was not only a sign that they were unwilling to let the 23-year-old go, but it could also be a sign that West Ham’s transfer approach wasn’t tempting enough.
The transfer insider believes Arsenal may have seen no profit in West Ham offering to sign Smith-Rowe on a loan with no obligation to buy, and that if the Hammers had approached them with a permanent transfer bid, they could have persuaded Arsenal to sell.
The Hammers are set to sign Kalvin Philips on loan, and I doubt they will return for Smith Rowe, but Romano believes there may be other offers for the Gunner, as a wise team may know Arsenal may be tempted to cash in on him for a permanent offer as they seek to also get reinforcements.
This update on Smith Rowe is not comforting, but we can’t ignore it. “Yes, this is a concrete possibility to see Emile Smith Rowe being approached by clubs in the next days and weeks because it already happened last week with West Ham,” said Romano on Caught Offside’s YouTube. “For example, West Ham tried to make a deal happen on loan for Smith Rowe, not even a buy-option clause included, and Arsenal are never going to accept that.
“For Arsenal, it makes no sense to let the player leave on loan. So my feeling is that, at the end, it’s going to be complicated for Smith Rowe to leave in the January transfer window because Arsenal would only be open to a permanent transfer.
“It’s also about the financial fair play. If you sell a player like Smith Rowe, you can have maybe space to bring in a new, important player for your squad. If you send him on loan, it makes no sense. Mikel Arteta is also happy with the player, so they’re not desperate to let him go, and he’s also very happy at Arsenal.
“If they receive an important proposal or permanent transfer, that could be a possibility; otherwise, I see Smith Rowe staying at Arsenal.”
So do Fabrizio Romano’s claims make sense?
Daniel O
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