Smith Rowe snubs Aston Villa for new Arsenal deal

 

Arsenal have announced Emile Smith Rowe has put pen to paper on a new long-term deal to end speculation about his future.

 

Smith Rowe had entered the last two years of his previous Arsenal contract and had attracted big interest from Aston Villa.

 

Arsenal turned down two bids from their Premier League rivals, even rejecting £30m, and have been working hard to secure Smith Rowe's future.

 

Mikel Arteta's side have finally got Smith Rowe to put pen to paper and have even rewarded the youngster with the No.10 shirt for the 2021/22 campaign.

 

"As we all saw last season, Emile is an intelligent player with excellent ability. His sharpness on the turn and exceptional vision have already made him a key player for us," Arteta told the club's official website.

 

"His attitude and willingness to learn have also been very impressive. Huge credit to our team in our academy who have given Emile a great education and have worked superbly to help with his development through the age groups."

 

 

Smith Rowe has been at Arsenal since he was nine and played at every age level up until his first-team debut in September 2018.

 

The 20-year-old now looks primed for a major role at Arsenal next season following the departure of Martin Odegaard.

 

Despite only starting 18 league games for Arsenal last term, only Willian (5) registered more assists than Smith Rowe (4) of all players at the club.