Emile Smith Rowe could reportedly leave Arsenal this summer, and such a transfer could have a major effect on the Gunners homegrown quota.
For those who are unaware or haven’t played Football Manager in the last five years, each Premier League team must have at least eight homegrown players, a status acquired if a player spends three years or more at a certain team before turning 21-years-old.
Given that Smith Rowe is an academy graduate, rumours of the England international being wanted by Fulham could have a major part in Arsenal’s summer transfer plans, with a homegrown player potentially on the agenda if the attacking midfielder does leave.
With that in mind, here are three homegrown players Arsenal could sign to replace Smith Rowe.
Eberechi Eze
Given the problem Arsenal might find themselves with if Smith Rowe leaves, there’s few players the Gunners can actually look to externally if they’re to fill the homegrown quote, yet in Eberechi Eze, the north London side might have an ideal replacement.
A former Arsenal academy player between 2006 and 2011, Eze would qualify as a homegrown player for Arsenal despite spending time in the academies of Fulham, Reading and Millwall before joining Queens Park Rangers and morphing into the player he is now at Crystal Palace.
Whilst two years older than Smith Rowe, Eze’s style of play would offer something similar the current Arsenal no. 10 possesses, and many supporters would be excited by the 25-year-old’s arrival as a potential replacement.
Wojciech Szczesny
Wojciech Szczesny is a player who needs no introduction for Arsenal fans, with the Polish international also the only player on this list who is currently linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
Whilst a Smith Rowe replacement would be needed if the 23-year-old is sold, Arsenal’s best bet this window in getting a new homegrown player in would be through the goalkeeping market, which could indicate a move for Szczesny.
A seasoned winner after seven years at Juventus, a return to north London would be quite the move from Arsenal this summer, though it could be a transfer that would be back by quite a lot of supporters given Szczesny’s reputation with fans.
Serge Gnabry
If there’s one player who Arsenal fans would love to see back in the famous red and white having been let go too early in their career, nine times out of ten the answer will be Bayern Munich superstar Serge Gnabry.
Since returning to Germany, the forward has developed into one of the best wingers in the world, who this season punished Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League with a decisive goal at the Emirates Stadium.
With Arsenal already in the hunt for a new attacker, selling Smith Rowe and brining Gnabry back to north London could be a masterstroke of a decision from Mikel Arteta, who could be convinced to sign another world-class forward.