“Arteta signed Havertz just to cause problem in the dressing room, he’s not better than me in any way”- Arsenal star Smith Rowe expressed his disappointment at Mikel Arteta as he feel betrayed by the manager- Player has revealed what’s he’s going to do next

Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe faces major £34m transfer problem as star snubbed again

COMMENT: Emile Smith Rowe may be considering his Arsenal future after being snubbed yet again.

Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe faces a £34million transfer problem this season. The 23-year-old again finds himself on the fringes and the performance of Fabio Vieira off the bench on Saturday will have done him no favours.

Smith Rowe hasn’t started a match for Arsenal in any competition since May 2022. He missed the first few months of last season following groin surgery and has been unable to work his way back into the team.

He was linked with a summer exit earlier in the window but an impressive European Under-21 Championship saw him return to Arsenal in a much better place than he ended the 2022/23 domestic campaign. Smith Rowe featured in pre-season and came off the bench in the Community Shield win over Manchester City.

However, he has not been seen on the field since. The 23-year-old has been an unused substitute for the first three Premier League matches of the campaign and question marks over his long-term future must be raised.

Arsenal were in desperate need of inspiration off the bench on Saturday when they trailed Fulham 1-0. But it wasn’t Smith Rowe who Mikel Arteta turned to, instead calling on £34m-man Vieira.

Vieira had a difficult first season at Arsenal, making just three Premier League starts and often flattering to deceive in the Europa League. But Arteta clearly views him as higher than Smith Rowe in the pecking order.

Vieira didn’t just get the nod from Arteta, he also grabbed his opportunity with both hands. The Portuguese star won the penalty for Bukayo Saka’s equaliser before setting up Eddie Nketiah with a fine cross to put Arsenal into the lead.

Arteta was happy for Vieira that he was able to take his chance. He said: “With Fabio I’m delighted for him as well because he hasn’t played any minutes so far this season and to see a player that comes with that determination and that positiveness to this team and has the impact that he had, it’s difficult to see and really pleasing. I’m really happy for him as well.”

Smith Rowe will have been pleased to see Arsenal turn the game against Fulham on its head. But a large part of him will be wishing it was him, not Vieira, making the difference.

Arsenal threw away their hard work, conceding a late goal equaliser despite Fulham being down to 10 men. Vieira has given himself an outside chance of starting against Manchester United next weekend but Smith Rowe will be wondering when his next chance will come.