Emile Smith Rowe has completed his move from Arsenal to Fulham for a fee that could reach £34m with add-ons. It is a record buy for Fulham and Arsenal’s biggest sale since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Liverpool for £35m in 2017.
Smith Rowe, who came through Arsenal’s academy, has found opportunities limited in the past two seasons, not helped by groin and knee injuries. Of his 25 Premier League appearances over that period only three have been starts and he will hope the move can push him back into England contention. The attacking midfielder won three caps across late 2021 and early 2022.
Fulham failed with a £30m offer before striking a deal that surpasses the club record £27m paid for the Ivory Coast midfielder Jean Michaël Seri in 2018. The fee is the most Arsenal have received for an academy graduate.
Smith Rowe told Fulham’s website: “I’m really excited, I just wanted to get here as quickly as possible so I could get going with my teammates. Listening to the project, speaking to the manager [Marco Silva], and seeing what players we have here already, I think it’s an exciting project for me, and definitely the perfect step for my career going forward.”
The 24-year-old is Fulham’s second summer signing after Ryan Sessegnon, who rejoined on a free transfer after leaving Tottenham.
