Arsenal open contract talks with Emile Smith Rowe
By Tom Gott
Arsenal have opened negotiations with young midfielder Emile Smith Rowe over a contract extension at the Emirates Stadium.
The 20-year-old enjoyed a short-lived spell as Arsenal's saviour over the festive period, chipping in with three assists as the Gunners embarked on a seven-game unbeaten streak which carried them away from the relegation zone.
Despite the addition of Martin Odegaard in January, Smith Rowe has enjoyed a significant role in Mikel Arteta's squad, and according to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Arsenal are keen to reward the Englishman with a new contract.
Smith Rowe will enter the final two years of his current deal this summer, and while the strict club policy of not allowing players to get within the last 24 months of their contracts left with former executive Raul Sanllehi, Arsenal remain keen to protect their assets while the pressure on them is low.
Club chiefs are expected to sit down with Smith Rowe in the coming weeks to offer him a new deal which reflects his newfound status as a first-team player at the Emirates.
Alongside tying down Smith Rowe, Arsenal want to ensure they sign another attacking midfielder this summer. The dream is to lure Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard back on a permanent basis, but if that is not possible, a handful of other targets are being considered.
Christian Falk recently revealed that Borussia Dortmund's Julian Brandt was back on the radar, while AC Milan's Hakan Calhanoglu has also been linked.
An obvious concern is where Arsenal will find the money to do all these deals, but the Gunners are confident that they will be able to trim an enormous chunk off their wage budget this summer.
The biggest relief will involve Mesut Ozil. Now playing for Fenerbahce, Arsenal agreed to pay over 90% of his £350,000-a-week wages until the end of June just to get him off the books, so seeing that agreement expire will free up an enormous amount of money.
Centre-back David Luiz is set to leave as a free agent, while Dani Ceballos and Mat Ryan's loan deals will also come to an end. Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi could both be sold permanently when their loans with Atletico Madrid and Hertha Berlin expire.
Finally, there are also doubts about the futures of players like Hector Bellerin, Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Eddie Nketiah, and selling just a few of them would help free up a sizeable sum for Arsenal to play with.