How Emile Smith-Rowe has lifted the gloom around Arsenal

The instant impression Emile Smith Rowe has made during his first sustained run for Arsenal should come as no surprise given his impact in a short space of time at the two other clubs he has represented.

In five games since his long-awaited reintroduction against Chelsea last month, Arsenal have won four and drawn one.

They have not scored a goal without nSmith Rowe being on the pitch or conceded when he has been on it either. Strange quirk? Perhaps. Undisputable fact? Definitely.I

And nobody can also doubt the contribution the youngster nicknamed The Croydon De Bruyne has made in helping lift the gloom that had gathered over Arsenal.

Smith Rowe, 20, arriving on the scene like a breath of fresh air will sound familiar to those who worked with the gifted attacking midfielder at RB Leipzig and Huddersfield.

Smith Rowe joined Arsenal aged 10 and broke into the first team in 2018, scoring a pre-season wonder goal against Atletico Madrid then three times in his first six competitive appearances, including one on his full Europa League debut against Qarabag.

How much he impacted games, from the start, bench and regardless of how long he was on the pitch, was one of the qualities that caught Leipzig’s attention before they loaned him in January 2019.

Croydon-born Smith Rowe integrated quickly, helped by then head of recruitment and long-term admirer Paul Mitchell who was a big reason why he moved abroad and went out of his way to help the Arsenal youngster acclimatise, speaking to Leipzig’s new arrival daily.

And it was not long before Smith Rowe was being held up as an example to Leipzig’s academy hopefuls.

He was exactly the type of player they wanted to produce themselves – creative but hard working, quick, agile, comfortable on both flanks, centrally and with both feet and willing to work off and without the ball as much as when he had it.

That fitness issues that restricted Smith Rowe to three appearances were a source of frustration for both Leipzig and the player who was desperate to show what he was made of.

He arrived with a small, growth-related groin problem that only time would heal.

Leipzig thought they had resolved it when Smith Rowe produced back-to-back cameos against Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen.

But after borrowing another player’s boots in training as his hadn’t arrived back from the Bremen game, Smith Rowe slipped aggravating his problem.

If he hadn’t, he would likely have played all of Leipzig’s games for the remainder of the season.

They are convinced he would have produced performances that would only have increased their determination to sign him too.

Were it not for that slip, it is not inconceivable that Smith Rowe could be doing for Leipzig now what he is instead doing for Arsenal.

Despite his lack of action the move was not in vain.

Smith Rowe returned matured after living away from home for the first time and got a taste of the status he was striving for and has to work hard to achieve at Arsenal, that of a fully-fledged first teamer.

Another loan spell for the second-half of last season at Huddersfield helped edge him closer.

Smith Rowe’s willingness to test himself away from the elite club environment he was used to and in the heat of a relegation battle impressed and surprised in equal measure when he had easier options.

Then his talent and taking some early training ground attempts to rough him up his stride helped earn him the trust of their senior stars.

They swiftly realised Smith Rowe was the real deal and could help them survive, which he duly did.

It was the likes of Andy King, Danny Simpson and Richard Stearman who he became close with and took Smith Rowe under their wing, an indication of their respect for him.

Smith Rowe’s move to Huddersfield meant their head of football operations Dave Webb finally got his man, having previously tried to persuade a 15 year-old Smith Rowe to swap Arsenal for Tottenham, where he was responsible for identifying elite potential talents.

‘The way he played, moved, could receive the ball on the half turn under pressure, he just stood out,’ Webb said of the day Smith Rowe first caught his eye with a starring performance for Arsenal’s under-18s aged 15.

Those qualities are now becoming more widely known along with Smith Rowe’s knack of delivering on big occasions.

He did so throughout his FA Youth Cup days and for England’s youth teams where he was an under-the-radar part of the starlet-studded, World Cup winning under-17s four years ago.

Unsurprisingly to many he has continued his happy habit into Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal first team. It is one that looks much better with Smith Rowe in it.