Arsenal have begun negotiations with young midfielder Emile Smith Rowe for a contract extension at the Emirates Stadium.
The 20-year-old enjoyed a brief spell as Arsenal’s savior during the festive period, striking out with three assists as the Gunners entered a seven-game unbeaten streak that took them away from the relegation zone.
Smith Rowe is now a regular match in the senior squad | Marc Atkins / Getty Images
Despite the addition of Martin Odegaard in January, Smith Rowe has played a significant role in Mikel Arteta’s squad, and according to The Athletics’ David Ornstein, Arsenal are keen to reward the Englishman with a new contract.
Smith Rowe will enter the final two years of his current deal this summer, and although the strict club policy of not allowing players to get the last 24 months of their contracts left with former manager Raul Sanllehi, Arsenal are still keen on to protect their assets while the pressure on them is low.
Club managers are expected to sit down with Smith Rowe in the coming weeks to offer him a new deal that reflects his newfound status as a first-team player at the Emirates.
In addition to tying down Smith Rowe, Arsenal want to make sure they sign another attacking midfielder this summer. The dream is to attract Real Madrid loaner Martin Odegaard back permanently, but if that is not possible, a handful of other goals are being considered.
Arsenal also want Odegaard back | Pool / Getty Images
Christian Falk recently revealed that Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Brandt was back on the radar, while AC Milan’s Hakan Calhanoglu has also been linked.
An obvious concern is where Arsenal will find the money to make all these offers, but the Gunners are convinced that they will be able to cut a huge chunk of their salary budget this summer.
The biggest relief will involve Mesut Ozil. Now he plays for Fenerbahce, and Arsenal agreed to pay over 90% of his £ 350,000 a week salary until the end of June just to get him out of the book, so seeing that the contract expires will free up a huge amount money.
Arsenal still pay most of Ozil’s salaries KENAN ASYALI / Getty Images
Midfielder David Luiz will leave as a free agent, while Dani Ceballo’s and Mat Ryan’s loan deal will also end. Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi could both be sold permanently when their loans with Atletico Madrid and Hertha Berlin expire.
Finally, there are also doubts about the future of players such as Hector Bellerin, Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Eddie Nketiah, and selling just a few of them would help free up a large sum for Arsenal to play with.
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