Letting Emile Smith Rowe would send out a wrong message, assets Nigel Winterburn
Emile Smith Rowe has been one of the most exciting talents at Arsenal
|Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn believes that letting Emile Smith Rowe to leave would be a complete disaster for the club. The young midfielder thrived in the second half of the 2020/21 season and that has seen Aston Villa keen on a move for Smith Rowe, with them tabling two bids for the attacker.
Emile Smith Rowe has been one of the most exciting talents emerging at Arsenal alongside Bukayo Saka with the duo thriving last season. Drawing comparison to the likes of Mesut Ozil and various other creative playmakers, Smith Rowe has been a promising talent providing with a much needed creative impetus last season. But with only a two year contract to his name at the moment, Arsenal are hoping to put fresh terms in place this summer.
Those plans are being disrupted by unwelcome attention, with Premier League rivals Aston Villa pushing hard to get another creative influence onto their books. Following the addition of Emiliano Buendia, Villa are looking for more creative players and believe that Smith Rowe fits their profile and style of play. However, in light of the interest, Nigel Winterburn has spoken out in favour of Arsenal knocking back the offers and penning down Smith Rowe to a new contract.
"If we were to let him go it would be a disaster, it would send out completely the wrong messages to our supporters. He's a young player who's had his breakthrough season, he's been hugely impressive, and we cannot afford to let him go. I do genuinely believe it would have such a negative impact on the club, we've got some good attacking young talent and to sell to another Premier League club would be a complete disaster," Winterburn said, reported by Goal.
