Emile Smith Rowe hit his 10th goal of the season on Saturday, putting him in good company at Arsenal and across the Premier League.
Arsenal academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe scored his ninth Premier League goal against Brentford, adding to his League Cup goal to make it double figures in all competitions.
This is the first time since Cesc Fabregas in 2009/10 that a former Arsenal academy player has reached double figures for goals in the senior side.
It’s also worth mentioning that just three players have more than nine Premier League goals this season, Mohamed Salah (17), Diogo Jota (12), and Raheem Sterling (10).
It would be an ask to catch Salah at this stage, but Smith Rowe is definitely within touching distance of the other two. Particularly given the 21-year-old hasn’t even been a regular starter lately, making the lineup just twice in Arsenal’s last nine league games.
If Smith Rowe can break back into the starting side now, there’s no reason he couldn’t continue to add to his goal tally.
Speaking after the game, Smith Rowe admitted he was happy to be following in the footsteps of previous great midfield goalscorers from the Arsenal academy.
“That’s really special to hear that,” Smith Rowe said. “That means a lot, you know. It’s always been a dream to play for Arsenal so to hear that, it means a lot.”