It is no secret that Emile Smith Rowe has transformed our season. His first opportunity came in the Boxing Day fixture against Chelsea. Up until that point Arsenal had been one of the least creative teams in the league and saw themselves facing a potential relegation scrap. 

Since that moment, we have become one of the most creative sides in the league. Smith Rowe has been pivotal to that; he is a guy who above anything else forces Arsenal to play more quickly in the final third. He does the simple things very well. In most games since Chelsea, we have looked capable of scoring at least 2 or 3 goals a game.

This kind of form has not gone unnoticed. Naturally, I think Saka, Phil Foden and Pedro Neto are the headline-grabbers this season. The young talents have been having brilliant years respectively. But Smith Rowe’s impact on the Arsenal side has caused some BBC pundits (Clinton Morrison, Karen Carney and Matt Upson) to wax lyrical.

Morrison said “He has been excellent. You would never think he is a shy lad because he is always demanding the ball”. 

Upson agreed in saying “He plays with real freedom and he expresses himself well. To say he is shy shows how different personalities come out on the pitch.”

Carney added “If he is shy, imagine what he will be like when he is confident. It is scary.”

Much has been said of him just being a normal, shy Croydon lad behind the scenes. What I make of it is that he is just 100% focused on football. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of youngster who is going to let money and fame get to his head. He will keep his feet on the ground, knowing that he can make a huge impact at his boyhood club. Whilst also knowing there is a lot to learn.

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