Patience and hard work key as Emile Smith Rowe prepares to revive season
mile Smith Rowe is in line to make only his fourth Arsenal start in ten weeks against Brentford on Saturday as he bids to spark his season back into life after a frustrating spell.
The midfielder has had to be patient since suffering a groin injury at Old Trafford at the start December but, after finally shaking off the issue, he is fully fit again and ready to help Arsenal in their bid to qualify for the Champions League.
With Gabriel Martinelli suspended following his red card against Wolves, Smith Rowe is set to come back into the team at Emirates Stadium against the Bees.
The Premier League winter break came at the perfect time for the 21-year-old. Before it, the Arsenal medical department had agreed to take a cautious approach with his return and he essentially took on the role of super-sub, scoring off the bench in three successive Premier League games over the festive period.
But the mid-season break and Arsenal’s trip to Dubai provided an opportunity for Smith Rowe to get fully fit.
He used the warm-weather training camp in the Middle East to work with performance and injury rehabilitation specialist Chris Bowman, who runs the company Elite Sports Performance.
Bowman is popular among footballers and has worked with many elite athletes, including Ireland rugby captain Johnny Sexton.
Jack Wilshere has worked with Bowman before and Arsenal also have good links with him as one of their physios, Simon Murphy, studied alongside him at the University of Nottingham.
As a result, Smith Rowe linked up with Bowman and Murphy in Dubai, doing extra sessions to ensure he returned home fully fit. That hard work has paid off and he now has a chance to re-establish himself in the team.
Smith Rowe made a flying start to the season, which was rewarded with his England debut in November, and Mikel Arteta will be keen for him to rekindle that form.
Despite his fitness issues, Smith Rowe remains Arsenal’s top scorer this season and his ability to chip in with goals will be even more vital now Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has left.
Arteta stressed to his squad in Dubai how everyone must step up and contribute goals, and Smith Rowe is ready to lead the charge.
The rise of Martinelli over the past two months has only added to the competition for his place in the team.
Originally, Smith Rowe had been playing as a No10, but Martin Odegaard’s arrival saw him moved out to the left. Martinelli has now emerged as a rival for that spot and Arteta faces a headache fitting them all in when everyone is fit.
Smith Rowe’s preferred position is central, but he is happy to operate out left, particularly as he enjoys playing with Odegaard.
That, though, leaves a dilemma around where Martinelli fits in and it is the view of some at Arsenal that, in the long-term, the Brazilian will operate as a striker.
Many of football’s biggest brands fighting to secure Smith Rowe on a boot sponsorship deal.
The belief when he joined, particularly of Unai Emery, was that he should start his career out wide as he develops physically and gets stronger.
Martinelli has certainly toughened up since moving to England and his eventual move to becoming a striker would allow Arteta to field the Brazilian, Bukayo Saka, Odegaard and Smith Rowe in the same team.
All four are developing into stars and Smith Rowe is no different, with many of football’s biggest brands fighting to secure him on a boot sponsorship deal.
His previous deal with Nike ran out last summer and he has been wearing black boots since as he weighs up his options.
Smith Rowe is not rushing the decision, with an outcome expected in the next few months, and he could even re-sign with Nike after wearing their boots all his life.
The scramble for his signature underlines how he is a rising star and his growing importance at Arsenal. And now, as the club fight to secure qualification for the Champions League, Smith Rowe has the chance to remind everyone just how vital he is.