Crystal Palace are reportedly expected to launch an official transfer bid for Arsenal attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe amid interest from Fulham.
The 23-year-old has struggled for playing time in Mikel Arteta’s side for the last couple of years, despite having previously shown plenty of potential since rising up from the club’s academy into the first-team.
According to the Evening Standard, Arsenal are now braced for more bids for Smith Rowe after rejecting an initial approach from Fulham, with Palace also showing an interest in the England international as he’s expected to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer.
It’s surely a good time for Arsenal to cash in on Smith Rowe as his value could soon drop, meaning they’d miss out on this opportunity to make pure profit on the sale of a homegrown player.
Smith Rowe transfer: Can he still have a good Premier League career?
Of course, some Arsenal fans are likely to be nervous about the potential sale of a talent like Smith Rowe, who might still have it in him to shine in the Premier League and have a good career at this level.
For now, it seems unlikely that that will happen for him at Arsenal given the competition for places in Arteta’s midfield, but he certainly seems more than good enough to have a really positive impact at somewhere like Fulham or Palace.
Oliver Glasner has done impressive work at Selhurst Park since taking charge last season, and one imagines a player like Smith Rowe would relish the chance to work with him and improve in the way that others like Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton have.
It won’t be easy for AFC supporters to see this popular local lad shining for a rival club, but at the same time it seems the best for all parties involved to go their separate ways now.