Mikel Arteta heaps praise on Arsenal star ahead of new season

The man in question is Emile Smith Rowe.

At the start of Mikel Arteta’s reign, Smith Rowe was brought in and played a crucial role in helping turn Arsenal’s fortunes around in 2020/21.

However, this past season saw the 22-year-old notch just 161 minutes of league action across 12 outings.

However, following the end of the Premier League campaign, ESR linked up with England’s under-21s and won the European Championship during the summer break.

Smith Rowe has since returned to Arsenal to fight for more minutes in the forthcoming campaign, and Mikel Arteta has been very impressed with his energy upon returning to his club:

“Really good,” responded Arteta on Smith Rowe winning U21 Euros with England. “We are all really happy because we know that it has been a tough season for him.

“He has had a lot of difficulties to overcome. He had the opportunity to play with England, at the end. He put a lot of effort to get to that competition in the best possible condition.

“We were all very happy to see him lift that trophy. You can see, it produced something different. His energy and the way he has come back. He is in a really good place and it’s great to see him back with us.”

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