I’M NOT SIGNING THE NEW CONTRACT: 22yr star player says He’s no longer interested amid interested from TOP European club
According to 90Min, Leicester City’s James Maddison is a target for Arsenal.
It’s easy to get excited about the prospect of the England midfielder arriving at the Emirates. However, if this transfer were to go ahead, it could spell the end for Emile Smith Rowe’s time at the club.
Smith Rowe has been a rising star for Arsenal over the past few years, and many had been hoping to see the young midfielder develop into a key player for the Gunners. However, injuries have hampered his progress, and he has struggled to make an impact on the pitch over the past 18 months.
With Gabriel Martinelli Martinelli and Leandro Trossard now ahead of Smith Rowe in the pecking order down the left side, and Odegaard taking the central attacking midfield role, the addition of Maddison could be the final nail in the coffin for Smith Rowe’s time at Arsenal.
Think about it, Smith Rowe would be relegated to third-choice down the left and third-choice down the middle – and that’s before we even consider Fabio Vieira’s place in this hierarchy.
Maddison is an established Premier League player with proven quality and experience, and his arrival would add a lot to this Arsenal side. His creative flair, vision and goalscoring ability would be huge for Arsenal as they continue to try to establish themselves among Europe’s elite.
Unfortunately for Smith Rowe, this could mean that he is pushed further down the pecking order, and one has to imagine that a sale could be on the cards if that is the case.
Of course, there is always the possibility that Arsenal could keep both players and use them in rotation with Martinelli, Trossard, Odegaard and Silva, but with so many options, it’s hard to imagine that is going to happen.
This is just pie in the sky at the moment as the links to Maddison do appear to be rather tentative, but if this move does go ahead, it may spell the end of Smith Rowe’s time at Arsenal.
