It's been a tough season so far for Emile Smith Rowe. Last year the Hale Ender was Arsenal's second highest scorer behind Bukayo Saka, but this year, he has been unable to start a single match.
This has been largely down to a decision to have surgery on a groin problem. There was the option to carry on playing and risk the issue that had plagued Smith Rowe for back half of last season flaring up again, but after some consultation it was decided that the best route was to have surgery in order to try and solve the problem once and for all.
That ruled the 22-year-old out for four months, and just after making a brief comeback in matches against Oxford United and Tottenham Hotspur in January, he suffered a set back that led him to fail to make a matchday squad for another three weeks. He returned to the bench for February's dramatic 4-2 victory over Aston Villa, but by that point Leandro Trossard had arrived from Brighton and since then Fabio Vieira has started to earn more game time in both the Premier League and Europa League.
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This has led many to question Smith Rowe's future at Arsenal. With Trossard having struck up such a promising partnership with Gabriel Martinelli in the forward areas, and Vieira taking the minutes that he might have had in one of the eight positions, it seems as though game time could be hard for the Hale Ender to come by between now and the end of the season. As far Arteta is concerned though, Smith Rowe is very much still part of his plans.
"He knows how much we love him and how much we missed him and how much we need his qualities," the Spaniard told football.london earlier this month. "Now he needs to prove it. He needs to prove how much he wants to win and how much he's going to contribute to this team. To be better and to win and he's gonna have to show that to get on the team."
With that in mind, Smith Rowe is probably an unfortunate victim of Arsenal's premature exit from the Europa League. After such a long time out, the Gunners were keen not to just throw the 22-year-old back into the fray, but prior to the penalty shootout defeat to Sporting CP, Arteta seemed to hint that he was ready to use him more often.
"We have to manage his load but for sure, he's in a position where we can use him in the team at any moment," the Spaniard said when asked by football.london about Smith Rowe's comeback. "Then it's about how he's coping with the game in general and whether to take him off or use for the last few minutes."
This would appear to suggest that Smith Rowe has a role to play going forward. With a Premier League title on the line though, and Gabriel Jesus back from a long-term injury, it may be harder than ever for him to get minutes. He will be buoyed by the impact that previously written off players like Reiss Nelson have had this season, but it will still be tricky.
The battle for opportunities doesn't look set to get easier. football.london understands Arsenal are keen on signing Declan Rice from West Ham this summer for a fee that looks set to be in excess of £80million. Many have suggested that Rice could be an option at the base of the Gunners' midfield, but equally he could be used in one of the eight roles that Smith Rowe will be hoping to occupy.
Arteta wants to build a squad capable of challenging in both the Premier League and Champions League, and this decision on Smith Rowe could be the first of many tricky ones that he has to make.
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