Why do Fulham want to make Emile Smith Rowe their record signing?

Rumours abound that Fulham are looking to sign Arsenal’s attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, with a first bid reportedly turned down by the Gunners, I’m asking the question: Why would Fulham want to potentially make the England international their record signing?

Versatility

Marco Silva is a man who loves players in his squad capable of playing in multiple positions. Timothy Castagne, Alex Iwobi, Bobby De Cordova-Reid and others have succeeded under Silva while being utilised in different areas of the pitch. Smith Rowe is another of those, with experience on both wings, in the 10 role, and in central midfield already in his career. With the loss of Willian and BDR plus the potential departure of Andreas, Smith Rowe could quickly plug gaps in the starting XI.

Regardless of that versatility, getting the best out of Smith Rowe would still be a key job for Silva. Smith Rowe’s productivity in the final third has been noticeably better when playing either in behind the striker or coming in off the left. More than 70% of Smith Rowe’s career goal contributions have come from occupying those areas of the pitch. Granted, the last two seasons have been a struggle injury-wise for Smith Rowe, but when he has played for Arsenal, Arteta has often played him in a dual eight role with Martin Odegaard, leading to zero goals and just four assists in 25 Premier League games in that time for Smith Rowe, proof if it was needed that he is most effective in more advanced areas.

Marco’s magic

While it looks like it’s Fulham that need to convince Smith Rowe and Arsenal that a deal can be done this summer that suits all parties, Smith Rowe must see what Marco Silva has done to get the best out of his players over the last couple of seasons and want a piece of that. Willian, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Bernd Leno, Aleksandar Mitrovic and so on have all played some of the best football of their career under our Portuguese head coach, many of whom were either seen as outcasts or ‘past it’ when Silva first took them under his wing.

That’s not to suggest Smith Rowe is an outcast. He has obvious talent, has international caps for England and is still only 23 years old. However, his career has stagnated. Injuries have plagued his ability to break into an Arsenal side that under Arteta have gone from strength to strength and a fresh start elsewhere may be exactly what the young man needs to take his career to the next level and bring him back into international contention. If Marco Silva were to get the best out of Smith Rowe like he has with so many others, Fulham would have one of the league’s most exciting attacking talents on their books with his best years ahead of him.

An England international

It’s rare that Fulham find themselves with England internationals on their books, especially in the 21st century, but Smith Rowe does already have senior caps under his belt, including a goal in a win over San Marino. Were Smith Rowe to impress enough to get himself back into England contention, it would not only justify the decision by both club and player to make the move work, but would also increase his value massively as he enters the prime of his career.

It is also worth mentioning the importance of Smith Rowe’s homegrown status. Like every Premier League club, Fulham have a homegrown quote to attend to which has been affected by their outgoings so far this summer. Rodak came through our academy and has moved on, as has Tosin who had represented England at multiple youth levels. Bringing homegrown talents into the squad that aren’t just 39-year-old third-choice goalkeepers is an important aspect of squad building for every Premier League club and Smith Rowe would be a superb addition in that regard.

Big game experience

One of the big differences for Fulham from the 2022/23 season to the season just gone was a greater ability to win games against the bigger sides in the Premier League. Home wins against Arsenal and Tottenham and a famous last-minute winner at Old Trafford were huge standout moments last year, as well as a deep run in the Carabao Cup in which we were narrowly beaten by Liverpool in the semi-finals. Bringing in players who are used to winning big games like those, such as Willian in the past two years, is another big step towards making Fulham an established and competitive Premier League club.

Despite Smith Rowe’s young age and fitness struggles recently, he has still played in a number of big occasions. As mentioned, he has played multiple times for his country already which is always a big moment for any player. On top of that, Smith Rowe has experience in different leagues, playing in the Championship for Huddersfield and the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig. Most of his big game experience has of course come at Arsenal, including trophy wins at Wembley and appearances in multiple European competitions. Add to that experience of winning big games for Arsenal in the Premier League, Smith Rowe could instantly add valuable experience to our dressing room.

Connections

Maybe this might be a bit out there, but we know that quite often players are more willing to join a new club if their pals are there to help them settle in. Look at how easy it was for Iwobi to settle in at Fulham with Bassey by his side for example. As previously mentioned, Smith Rowe has played with Arsenal, England and Leipzig, and as you would imagine, that means he’s had some very talented teammates. With many outgoings so far and nobody in to replace them as of the time of writing, who could Smith Rowe potentially convince to come with him to the Cottage? Time to be massively speculative…

Reiss Nelson at Arsenal is another exciting attacking talent who has found himself as an outsider at the Emirates who has interest from multiple Premier League clubs, including Fulham according to some reports. Also capable of playing on either wing, seeing Nelson and Smith Rowe on either side of Muniz could be a lot of fun. The departure of Palhinha leaves gaps in the middle of the park… maybe Emile could convince former Leipzig teammate and Mali international Amadou Haidara to join him in London to help to fill that gap in our midfield. Or maybe after his three England caps, Smith Rowe is pally enough with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham and could… okay, maybe not.