‘Wounded’ star Arsenal cast aside tipped to become sensation at new club and fight for shock England spot

Arsenal have been warned that Emile Smith Rowe could go on to become a ‘revelation’ at Fulham and end up fighting for an England place after being brutally dropped by Mikel Arteta in North London.

Smith Rowe has had a tough time with injuries and this has seen him fall down Arteta’s pecking order at Arsenal. The attacking midfielder is a quality player but he only made 19 appearances in all competitions last season, with no goals and just two assists coming in that time, too.

Smith Rowe has struggled get into the Arsenal starting lineup ahead of Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz. The Englishman can also operate out wide, but Arteta has top-class stars such as Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli available on the flanks.

Fulham recently burst past several of their Premier League rivals and put themselves in pole position to sign Smith Rowe.

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There is now a deal in place for the playmaker to head to Craven Cottage on a permanent basis. Fulham are expected to pay an initial £27million for him, while add-ons could take the transfer to £34m in total.

Smith Rowe will be aiming to start regularly for Fulham and get back to being an exciting Premier League player once again, notching crucial goals and assists.

Pundit Stan Collymore has now backed the 24-year-old to use his hurtful Arsenal exit as motivation, and ultimately start shining again with the Cottagers.

Collymore even thinks that Smith Rowe could add to his three England caps while at Fulham, despite the fierce competition for places in his position.

Arsenal latest: Emile Smith Rowe tipped for big things

‘Fulham’s a great club, they’ve got all of the facilities that a high profile player would want, and Emile Smith Rowe wouldn’t have to move very far,’ he wrote in his latest CaughtOffside column.

‘I think that it’s interesting that two years ago, maybe just a bit over, before Unai Emery came in, [Aston] Villa were interested in Smith Rowe. Arsenal fans were like “no chance, small club, Villa – why would you want Smith Rowe?”

‘And yet, within a couple of years, he’s gone to a club who finished last season in a much lower place than Villa.

‘I don’t think he’s a lad that’s lost his way in the way that some younger players do. They become big time Charlie’s and they go off the rails a little bit, start going out on the town etc, and Smith Rowe doesn’t seem like that kind of lad at all.

‘I think it’s just a case of he’s been underused, and when you have a manager like Mikel Arteta, just as he did with Aaron Ramsdale, once you cross the line into being a player that he doesn’t want, he’s not one of those that goes “everybody’s got a clean slate here, and we’re going to use lots of different players during the season,” Arteta has got his ideas who he wants, and based on the ones that he doesn’t want, he expects them then to be moved on fairly quickly.

‘I think Fulham will be a revelation for Smith Rowe, and as long as he doesn’t go “I’ve come down a step because I was at Arsenal, now I’m at Fulham,” everything is there for him to progress.

‘From an England point of view, a new coach is coming in and you’ve got a player there that’s got undoubted ability, and who should be wounded enough leaving Arsenal to basically stick two fingers up to Arteta and show him what he’s missing.

‘If he starts the season very well there is no good reason why he couldn’t see himself in an England squad come the Nations League.’

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