Sun Sports’ Tom Barclay reckons that with a talent like Emile Smith Rowe, Arsenal will not miss Mesut Ozil and the midfielder’s former coach also thinks so.
Smith Rowe has stepped up to cover the creative void that has opened up at Arsenal this season.
The Gunners decided against renewing the contract of Ozil, and they didn’t even register him for any competitions this season.
As Arsenal struggled for creativity earlier in the campaign, there were calls for him to be recalled when teams are being registered again this month.
But Arsenal brought Smith Rowe into their starting XI and the Englishman has continued to impress in the few games that he has played for the club.
Barclay also spoke to one of the most important people in Smith Rowe’s football journey, Colin Omogbehin, who runs the South London youth side, Junior Elite.
This was where Smith Rowe’s talents were first discovered before Arsenal landed him.
When asked about the midfielder stepping up and filling the void left by Ozil, Omogbehin said via Sun Sports
“He showed against a big club like Chelsea he wasn’t overawed. He did an unbelievable job against N’Golo Kante.
“You have to be sensible with him as he is young and needs to be managed right.
“But I think he’ll just keep showing his quality.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of players. I don’t say this lightly, but in terms of talent and game understanding, he is the best.
“We always earmarked him, even that young. His talent was just so evident.
“You were thinking, ‘If he’s doing this now, what’s he going to be doing at 19-20?’”