- Rob Edwards calls Emile Smith Rowe an ‘exceptional’ player for Arsenal
- He remembers Smith Rowe from the England under-20 team and has always admired him
- Arsenal have FINALLY grown up…they used to be soft and you can’t say that anymore. everything is beginning
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Rob Edwards has hailed Emile Smith Rowe as “exceptional” after his man-of-the-match performance in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Luton Town.
Smith Rowe set Arsenal up for Martin Odegaard’s first goal before providing the “assist” for the second – a Daiki Hashioka own goal that Reiss Nelson wanted to score.
It was only his third start of the league season, his fourth in all competitions, but he highlighted his quality with a creative display.
Isaan Khan of Mail Sport gave Smith Rowe an 8 in his player ratings for the match.
Edwards said: “He’s a really good player.” I was very lucky, you probably don’t remember it, but I was in a few England camps with him in the under-20 team when I was in the FA and I thought he was exceptional.
Rob Edwards hailed Emile Smith Rowe (pictured) as an “exceptional” player after Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Luton.
Luton boss Edwards said he has “always been a big fan” of Smith Rowe since his youth.
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“We played against Portugal and won 4-0 in Portugal (in 2019) and I thought he was brilliant and I’ve always been a big fan of his.
‘I thought it was really good. He is a top level player. “They have a lot of top players here and he’s been unlucky not to get in, but I think he’s an exceptional player.”
With Arsenal stacked with talent and Smith Rowe battling injuries, it has been a peripheral campaign for the Hale End academy graduate.
At only 23 years old, he still has time to return to the team, but his influence has diminished compared to the 2021/22 season, when he scored 11 goals in 37 games.
However, with seven more games in April – and potentially an eighth if they reach the Champions League semi-finals – he could be pivotal in the run-up.
Rotation will be crucial for Mikel Arteta’s side as they look to compete on the domestic and European fronts.
After the clash with Brighton this Saturday, a quarter-final mission awaits them against their old enemy, Bayern Munich.
Arteta made five changes for the Luton game and was pleased with how fringe players such as Smith Rowe, Nelson and Thomas Partey performed.
Smith Rowe was instrumental in Arsenal’s two goals as they went top of the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta said he “loves” Smith Rowe as a player and it is “a pleasure to see him” on the pitch
He said: “They responded very well and I’m very happy with that.” It was a wonderful game.
“When they have their moment, they have to take advantage of it and they certainly did that today. They give me every reason (to choose them) every day.
“If we had lost the game it would have been because we made the changes and it is not as simple as that. We have to do the right thing, what they deserve and that is good trust.”
‘I love him as a player (Smith Rowe). He is a pleasure to watch because of the way he moves and also because of how physical he is.
“He helped us a lot to win the game today too.”
