Tony Adams has slammed Mikel Arteta for his reluctance to rotate the Arsenal squad this season, claiming that Emile Smith Rowe in particular should have played a greater role. The 22-year-old midfielder missed a large majority of the Gunners' title campaign through injury though, but even upon his return he was hardly ever thrown into the starting line-up.
Smith Rowe, who sees his contract at the Emirates Stadium expire in 2026, has featured just 11 times in the Premier League this term – and all of which have come from off the bench. He enjoyed a spectacular vein of form towards the end of last season but he's recently been reduced to cameo displays.
The England international was an unused substitute in the 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest over the weekend. With Arsenal in desperate need of a creative spark to reignite their title hopes, Adams was left bemused as to why Smith Rowe wasn't brought on.
