Now that Arsenal’s new Head of football operations Richard Garlick has joined the team, he has taken control of all contracts for new and existing players.
It would appear that Mikel Arteta is making a priority of tying down all his up-and-coming youngsters to new deals, and having succeeded in doing a deal with Bukayo Saka, he is now trying to get the rest on board.
There were numerous rumours that Folarin Balogun was stalling on his new deal, but the problems were overcome and there was official confirmation on his new contract from the Gunners at the end of April.
The latest youngster in the spotlight is Emile Smith-Rowe, who has rocketed to stardom since his debut against Chelsea on Boxing Day, and Kieran Tierney is also in line for an upgraded contract as well.
With just two years left on his current contract, Arteta is keen to get Smith-Rowe signed up quickly, especially as there are other Premier League clubs looking covetously at our new Number Ten.
But despite rumours that Arsenal is close to getting agreement, Football.london have given an update on Kieran Tierney’s contract talks and have added that there has not yet been any progress with Smith-Rowe as yet. They stated:
Meanwhile, the Gunners are confident that Emile Smith Rowe will commit to a new contract.
Contrary to recent media reports however, the England youngster is not ‘close’ to signing an extension.
Smith Rowe has two years remaining on his current contract and his extension is seen as one of the priorities for the executive team this summer, with talks already underway.
The Croydon-born youngster is seen as part of the Gunners’ ‘British core’ alongside Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney.
It is very clear that Arteta is working on a long term rebuilding plan, and making sure we have a settled set of youngsters that have been brought through in the “arsenal Way” from our academy.
I think Arteta should make Smith-Rowe the Number One priority to stop the fans getting nervous….