Emile Smith Rowe came off the bench once again to find the back of the net against Norwich taking his tally to nine for the season, so how good can he become?

Since picking up a small injury, Emile Smith Rowe hasn’t started a Premier League game.

That hasn’t stopped him doing exactly what the manager asked of him last season – adding goals to his game.

The 21-year-old already has nine this season (with two assists) after scoring just four goals for the senior side last season.

“We don’t know,” Arteta admitted when asked how good Smith Rowe can become.

“What I know and what I expect is what he does all the time.

“He works extremely hard, he’s an extremely humble boy and he has a really special connection with this football club.

“His talent is obviously unquestionable, but he needs his team-mates, he needs his environment, he needs a cool head and he needs a very clear direction of what we wants to become. Time will tell.”

Cesc Fabregas names his 2 favourite current Arsenal players

Cesc Fabregas says young duo Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe are his favourite current Arsenal players to watch.

When former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas took to Twitter to celebrate 18 years since his debut as a professional football player, and to thank the Gunners for “giving me the best opportunity of my life” he also picked his two favourite current Arsenal players.

Fabregas decided to hold a Twitter Q&A to celebrate the anniversary and was asked which current Arsenal players he enjoyed watching the most, to which he simply answered Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.

That answer probably shouldn’t be particularly surprising.

For a start, most of us love watching Saka and Smith Rowe on a weekly basis.

They’re important members of Mikel Arteta’s side, often contributing to the goals.

In Fabregas’ case, there’s probably also the element of seeing a bit of himself in them. Young, bold players making an impact and changing games earlier than perhaps you’d expect them to.

In some other Arsenal-related answers, Fabregas said Alexander Hleb was his most underappreciated teammate, Robin van Persie was the most intelligent finisher, and Steven Gerrard was his toughest Arsenal opponent.

Saka and Smith Rowe will look to be giving Fabregas more moments to enjoy against Leicester City this weekend.

20/12/21

Arsenal forward named Premier League’s top form player

Gabriel Martinelli is the Premier League’s form player, according to the Sky Sports rankings, and three more Arsenal players make the top 25.

Sky Sports have been running a Power Rankings table this season, judging players on a five-game basis using a number of statistics to assess form.

For the first time this season, an Arsenal player has topped the charts – Gabriel Martinelli.

With five goals and assists in his last five games, it’s no surprise Martinelli is racking up the points. He’s top of the table with 9,289 points, well ahead of Joao Cancelo (8,469) in second.

Three other Arsenal players make the top-25: Martin Odegaard (13th, 6,206), Emile Smith Rowe (20th, 5,723), and Bukayo Saka (21st, 5,685).

It’s yet another way to underline just how well Arsenal’s youngsters are performing at the moment.

Odegaard turned 23 last week, whilst the other three are 20 or 21. They’re only at the start of their Premier League careers, but they’re already making a big impact for a big-six club.

Martinelli is the star right now, but Saka’s performances have been another level this week, Odegaard had one of his best games against Leeds, and Smith Rowe can’t stop scoring despite dropping to the bench.

They’re the only reason Arsenal have even remained in contention for a top-four spot whilst the more experienced players have often underperformed. Long may it continue.