Emile Smith-Rowe has signed a new contract with Arsenal the Gunners announced through official channels. The twenty-year-old midfielder was still at the Emirates Stadium until mid-2023, but is linked to Arsenal until mid-2026 after signing his new contract. Smith-Rowe has also received a new shirt number and will play with 10 on the shirt from next season.
The number 10 jersey has been vacant at Arsenal since the departure of Mesut Ozil, who made the switch to Fenerbahce in January. Smith-Rowe will therefore play with the famous number on the back from next season, which was previously worn by Dennis Bergkamp and Robin van Persie, among others. Due to the contract extension and the allocation of his new jersey number, a temporary or permanent departure of Smith-Rowe is permanently off the table. Aston Villa was emphatically in the market earlier this summer and saw two offers turned down.
“We saw last season that Emile is a very intelligent player, with excellent qualities. His sharp moves and exceptional insight have made him a key player for us,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told Arsenal’s official channels. “His attitude and eagerness to learn are very impressive. The staff within our youth academy deserves a big compliment for the way Emile was trained. We look forward to developing him further so that he can become even more important in the strong, young team being built here.”
Smith-Rowe has been playing in Arsenal’s youth academy since 2010 and made his first-team debut in 2018 at the age of eighteen. After rental periods at RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town, the England youth international has become a fixture in Arsenal’s first selection last season. Smith-Rowe made 33 appearances for Arsenal in the past year, in which he was good for 4 goals and 8 assists.
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