Mikel Arteta makes major Emile Smith Rowe transfer admission after Bournemouth snub amid £35m deal

Mikel Arteta has admitted that Emile Smith Rowe was left out of Arsenal’s pre-season friendly with Bournemouth due to speculation over his future.

The Gunners got their tour of the United States underway with a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth in which Fabio Vieira’s volley was a rare moment of quality. The game was followed by a penalty shootout in which Karl Hein saved two spot-kicks in order to secure a 5-4 victory for Arsenal.

In a game with little of note though, the biggest talking point was the absence of Smith Rowe, who, despite being named on the bench, did not even warm up at any point in the match at the Dignity Health Sports Park. Speaking after the match, Arteta admitted this was due to non-footballing reasons.

“Yeah there are things happening in the background at the moment,” he said to reporters after the game. “We decided the best thing to do was to keep him away from the game today.”

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football.london understands that Arsenal have agreed a fee of up to £35million with Fulham to sell Smith Rowe. The move would see the England international become the club’s record academy sale.

Smith Rowe played a crucial role in the early part of Arteta’s reign, famously starring in a 3-1 Boxing Day win over Chelsea in 2020. He was Arsenal’s top scorer the following season, but saw his progress curtailed by injury.

The 23-year-old started just four times in all competitions last season after returning from a near year-long absence with a hip problem. He had attracted interest from Crystal Palace and West Ham, but will instead be playing his football at Craven Cottage.