Arsenal may sacrifice Emile Smith Rowe as Edu looks to finally sign long-term transfer target in the summer
Arsenal could sacrifice Emile Smith Rowe this summer as they eye a deal for Leicester City star James Maddison.
James Maddison is back on the Arsenal wish list and the Gunners could sacrifice Emile Smith Rowe to sign him.
That is according to The Mirror, who claim that Maddison is ‘on the radar’ at Arsenal this summer.
It’s suggested that Mikel Arteta is planning a ‘huge summer rebuild’ and that means changes in midfield.
Granit Xhaka looks set for Bayer Leverkusen whilst Thomas Partey is attracting interest.
That means Arsenal are now looking towards Maddison with Leicester City heading for relegation as things stand.
Arsenal could land themselves a relative bargain with Maddison as Edu looks to take advantage of their potential drop.
Fans will remember that Arsenal were seemingly very interested in signing Maddison back in 2021.
The Gunners signed Martin Odegaard instead but could now end up with both him and Maddison in midfield moving forward.
Emile Smith Rowe may need to leave Arsenal
When Mikel Arteta started to turn things around at Arsenal, the key men were Bukayo Saka and Smith Rowe.
Saka has gone on to become a superstar but Smith Rowe hasn’t enjoyed the same rise.
The 22-year-old hasn’t even started a single Premier League game this season and has tallied just 148 minutes in 11 substitute appearances.
Even with Arteta experimenting against Nottingham Forest at the weekend and then needing a goal, Smith Rowe was unused.
Fabio Vieira has been preferred to Smith Rowe this season, a stance which has baffled Arsenal supporters.
Arteta has praised Smith Rowe as an ‘incredible player’, but that hasn’t been shown in his role at Arsenal this season.
Smith Rowe deserves more playing time but Arsenal may now cash in and put the money towards Maddison.
Seeing a top Hale End talent leave would be difficult for Arsenal fans to swallow but Smith Rowe cannot sit on the bench forever.
