Revealed: Arsenal snubbed last-minute offer from European giants for attacker, he could still leave this summer
Galatasaray reportedly made a last-minute attempt to sign Arsenal attacker Emile Smith Rowe, with the Turkish transfer window only shutting this weekend.
The 22-year-old has struggled to find consistent fitness recently, failing to make a single Premier League start under Mikel Arteta this season.
However, it seems the Gunners have opted to keep hold of Smith Rowe for now, as they continue their push for their first league title since 2004.
According to Fotomac, Galatasaray made an ambitious loan proposal to sign the England international before the window slammed shut.
Arsenal rejected this proposal, as Arteta obviously thinks Smith Rowe has a role to play in the remainder of the campaign.
On Saturday, he made a substitute appearance in the Gunner’s sensational 3-2 comeback win over Bournemouth, assisting Thomas Partey’s crucial second-half goal.
However, he was then taken off by the Spanish manager, after playing just 47 minutes. Smith Rowe seemed to struggle with the intensity of the match, but this is somewhat understandable given his injury issues.
Despite being touted to have huge potential, as previously reported by TEAMtalk, Smith Rowe is one of six Arsenal players that Arteta is willing to sell this summer, so he clearly doubts whether he is good enough to play at the highest level.
READ MORE: 6 times Arteta’s Arsenal have shown a title-winning mentality in 22-23
Smith Rowe gets chance to rediscover previous form
However, now that Arsenal have rejected Galatasaray’s approach, Smith Rowe has an opportunity to prove that he deserves to stay at the Emirates next season.
Last season, the youngster made 33 Premier League appearances, scoring 10 goals, which is his best return to date.
As a result, Arteta rewarded Smith Rowe with the no. 10 shirt, suggesting the manager expected him to be one of the Gunner’s main talents for years to come.
Gareth Southgate also gave him his first England call-up back in November 2021, so at that time, Smith Rowe was certainly performing at a top level.
However, as mentioned, the attacker has struggled to maintain his fitness this term, after undergoing surgery on his groin last year.
Now that he is back match-fit, Smith Rowe has 12 more league games to prove to Arteta that he deserves to stay at the Emirates.
If Arsenal do choose to sell him, though, they could recoup a sizeable transfer fee. According to Transfermarkt, the London club value the Englishman at a hefty £38m.
This could come in handy for Arteta and co, as the Premier League leaders are reportedly planning to spend big ahead of next season.
For example, they are allegedly looking at bringing in highly-rated Crystal Palace striker Wilfried Zaha, who has an excellent goal-scoring record with the Eagles.
Arsenal are also considering selling Kieran Tierney, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Folarin Balogun, Nuno Tavares and surprisingly, Granit Xhaka, so Arteta has a lot of big decisions to make as we enter the final months of the season.
