Former Arsenal captain Tony Adams believes the club should not sell Emile Smith Rowe this summer, insisting Mikel Arteta must utilise the attacking midfielder more often next season.
Smith Rowe was limited to just three starting appearances for the Gunners during the 2023-24 campaign, sidelined with ankle and knee problems in the first-half of the campaign but still struggling for minutes after returning to the squad.
Fulham have made the 23-year-old a top summer target with Marco Silva eager to bolster his attacking options.
Smith Rowe, who was targeted by Chelsea last summer before they eventually turned their attention to Cole Palmer, is among the players who could be sold by Arsenal this summer to help increase their own spending power this summer.
Given a lack of game time in north London, Smith Rowe could be tempted by greater first-team opportunities.
His last start for the club was the 2-0 win over Luton in March, featuring as an unused substitute in six of their last eight games of the season with Adams questioning why both he and Eddie Nketiah, another who has struggled for game time, didn’t feature more often.
Adams told Sky Sports: They need to be playing, if Arsenal are going to get to Man City. If I have one criticism is he [Arteta] has not used them enough.’
‘[Bukayo] Saka, you hardly ever see him come off, it’s 90 minutes after 90 minutes after 90 minutes. When you have the games won, it’s 2-0 after 70 minutes, get him off. Get Smith Rowe onto develop him. I think they have gone a bit stagnant.
‘Both, if I was them, I would be looking to move. Arteta needs to work with them and give them more time. But that depends if we get another centre forward.
‘But I do think he needs to rotate Saka more than he’s doing.’
Like Smith Rowe, Nketiah rarely featured during the title run-in, starting just 10 league games – the last of those coming in the New Year’s Eve defeat to Fulham.
The Cottagers are also keen the sign the strike this summer with Crystal Palace and Wolves also among the interested clubs.
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