Arsenal have made a strong start to this year’s league campaign, as they look to go one better than last season’s second place finish. The Gunners caught the eye for all the right reasons in that season, although they struggled to hold onto their lead at the summit, as Manchester City pipped them to the title.

Mikel Arteta’s side are top of the table this term though, and seem to be winning matches that they couldn’t do last season on a consistent basis. The likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have been key to their strong run of form, and both combined for their opener against Luton Town, in a game where Declan Rice netted a late winner to spark jubilant scenes from the travelling supporters.

With Saka and Martinelli consistently performing to a high standard in the Premier League this season, it has seen some players find game time tough to find. One of those is Emile Smith Rowe, with the 23-year-old being restricted to just eight appearances across all competitions, which doesn’t make for the best of reading.

We’ve seen glimpses of Smith Rowe’s potential with Arsenal, but it’s unsurprising to see him finding game time tough to find in recent months, given the form of the likes of Saka and Martinelli, who have hardly put a foot wrong this term. However, with Reiss Nelson featuring from the substitutes bench more often than Smith Rowe recently, some might argue that the midfielder’s development is best served elsewhere.

The Croydon-born talent has been linked with a move to Aston Villa, with the midfielder reportedly being tempted by a move to Villa Park, which would see him link up with former Arsenal boss Unai Emery.

In a recent interview with BonusCodeBets, former England winger John Barnes issued his thoughts on Smith Rowe’s future with the Gunners, and felt as though his future could be better off elsewhere if he continues to find regular game time hard to come by.

“Smith-Rowe is currently part of the Arsenal squad and when called upon you know he’ll do a good job.

“For him to leave Arsenal could leave them exposed should a Trossard or Martienlli get injured.

“If he wants to play regularly then he may have to consider leaving but Arsenal will want to keep him because they know he’s a good player and when called upon will at least maintain a good standard and quality as the others.

“Like Antony Gordon, if he were to leave I’m sure he would do a great job at a club like Aston Villa.”

A move to Aston Villa in particular would surely be of interest for Smith Rowe, as he’s still got his best years ahead of him, and won’t want his career stalling any further than it has in recent months with Arsenal. He’s a player that deserves to be playing regularly in the Premier League, and a move to Villa Park could do just that. With Villa needing additional strength in depth in attacking areas of their squad, it’s a move that would surely make sense for all parties involved.