Arsenal's priority over the next few weeks will be completing all their preferred transfer business.
We have surpassed the first week of the summer transfer window and the Gunners have already been extremely busy. Bids for Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz have all been submitted, though different outcomes in all cases.
There has also been the loud noise coming out of London Colney involving players ending their time at the club. The loan army who have spent the campaign elsewhere will have their situations reconsidered while key first-teamers Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey are on the verge of leaving the club.
Yet, despite all of the above, Arteta and his staff have internal development issues to contend with at the start of pre-season. Fabio Vieira's injury has ruled out the chance for the 2022 summer signing to hit the ground running over the summer, but Emile Smith Rowe’s situation continues to cause problems.
The Hale Ender suffered a difficult season last term due to injuries and falling victim to Arsenal's fantastic longevity at the top of the Premier League. After completing surgery and watching his teammates win week-on-week for five months, the 23-year-old returned for the last few months of the season.
“It was tough, but we were in a title race and I understand the manager isn’t going to change the team if we’re winning every game,” he told the Times. “I just tried to stay positive and train as well as I could. The other players and Mikel were great with me, kept me feeling connected.
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“But it was tough, a long season I won’t lie.”
Fully fit and in impressive shape in the latter end of the season, the forward ultimately struggled to break into Arteta's side and rumours started to circulate linking him with a move away, rumours that were squashed by the Gunners boss. “He knows how much we love him and he knows how much we missed him and how much we need his qualities,” the Spaniard told football.london in March.
Smith Rowe will return to London Colney with more minutes in his legs following his participation in the under-21s European Championship for England. Should the Three Lions go the distance in Georgia and Romania, they will play six games, with the final taking place on July 8.
The competition provides Smith Rowe - and Nuno Tavares with Portugal in fact - the chance to impress Arteta and give him a gentle reminder ahead of the 2023/24 season.
And the forward got his Euros off to the perfect start yesterday. He replaced Chelsea's Noni Madueke in the 79th minute and scored 15 minutes later to secure the three points against Czech Republic. The goal was only a simple finish but he showed tremendous work rate to race in the box within a space of seconds.
A brief reminder to Arsenal and Arteta what he can do.
