Arteta admits regret after €40m Arsenal transfer

Tom Weber

Updated: 23 Aug 2024 14:49 BST
3 min read

Mikel Arteta has expressed regret about his inability to get the best out of Emile Smith Rowe during his time at Arsenal.

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The homegrown starlet departed the Emirates at the beginning of August in search of first-team football. Smith Rowe was sold to Fulham for a club-record €40 million after the Cottagers won the battle for his signature against Crystal Palace.

Smith Rowe had been open to leaving his boyhood club after failing to get significant minutes in each of the last two seasons. Injuries took their toll in 2022/23, but even when fully fit, manager Mikel Arteta only scarcely utilised the attacking midfielder.

It was a far cry from the 2021/22 campaign when Smith Rowe was a crucial player in Arsenal's side and looked to be on the verge of establishing himself as a regular fixture in the senior England team.

Things ultimately did not go to plan and Arteta has now admitted that failing to get the best out of the 24-year-old is a major regret of his.

Arteta on Smith Rowe

“When I had the talk with Emile, I really felt it,” Arteta said. “First of all, because I have huge gratitude because he came into the team at a tough moment. I think he was the player that made our supporters and the team click, in a way.

"I don’t know how to explain it but that was my feeling. Something changed when he came in the team. He created a different energy straight away. And I have a feeling like ‘argh,’ that I have not got the best out of him. Obviously, a lot of things happened in that time.

“From my side, it was really sad because I know how those [academy] boys feel when they are in that building, how hard everyone works to get them close to the first team, so I feel a huge responsibility to give them the chance. And now, can they sustain this level and make us better? That is the idea.”