Arsenal's intention to keep Emile Smith Rowe at the Emirates beyond this summer has gone down well with fans, but Mikel Arteta knows more is needed from the attacking midfielder next term.
Smith Rowe shone during the 2021/22 season and ended the campaign with 10 league goals to his name, but it was an entirely different story this year. The England international suffered with persistent injuries that left him sidelined for a significant amount of time and struggled to make his mark on a side who finished second in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old will be well-aware that for all of the promise Arsenal as a collective showed last season, his own contribution was minimal. Smith Rowe made 12 league appearances, though all were cameo appearances off the bench. In that time, he registered just two league assists and failed to find the net all season.
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The groin surgery he was forced to undergo in October meant Smith Rowe was out of action for three months, but by the time January came around, the Arsenal academy-graduate was fit enough to return to the match-day squad.
Which begs the question: Why from that point did Smith Rowe still barely feature?
There is undeniably an element of Arteta not wishing to rush the playmaker's road to a full recovery, but the most he played in any one league game since the turn of the year was 47 minutes at home to Bournemouth.
The reasons why he remained on the outside looking in for the most part remain largely unclear, while the arrival of Leandro Trossard only helped to push him further down the pecking order - leading to fears that this summer could see him head through the Emirates exit.
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However, it would appear that Arteta actually blames himself.
The Spaniard has previously explained how he feels responsible for the lack of game-time that "three or four" key Arsenal players suffered last term.
"I have to be critical of myself,” said Arteta. "My job is to get the best out of 24 players we have available and I haven’t been able to do that. There are three or four I would say that still have huge potential but for different reasons, they haven’t been able to do that [this season].
"Whether it’s injuries or game time or whether it’s because I haven’t had the opportunity or I have decided not to play them enough."
Arteta will have the chance to rectify the issue next campaign, with the Gunners having no intention of letting Smith Rowe leave during the summer transfer window.
