Arsenal star Emile-Smith Rowe is on the verge of completing a £37 million move to fellow London club Fulham after 13 years with the Gunners, which saw him rise through the ranks at the club.
Mikel Arteta all but confirmed his exit when questioned on why Smith Rowe was benched in Arsenal’s preseason game against Bournemouth.
“There are things happening in the background at the moment, Arteta said, per The Sun.
“We decided the best thing to do was to keep him away from the game today,” he continued.
How Mikel Arteta betrayed Smith-Rowe
This comes just months after the Spanish manager had promised the 23-year-old plenty of opportunities to impress following two seasons of limited game time after a long-term injury.
“This is still the biggest part of the season to play now and we have to be patient, and he will have his chances,” Arteta said amid reports linking Chelsea with Smith Rowe back in January.
However, the midfielder managed to feature for just 346 minutes across the entire Premier League campaign last year, making only three starts.
With a move to Fulham looking likely to take place, Smith-Rowe was also deprived the opportunity to make a farewell appearance for Arsenal as the Gunners played out a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth in their pre-season game, adding another layer to the previous betrayal from his manager.
Meanwhile, Sports Buddy recently reported that Arsenal fans begged the club to offload a player following recent heartbreaking news.
