Emile Smith Rowe is in desperate need of his own ‘Kai Havertz moment’ ahead of this evening’s Champions League trip to Lens. The Arsenal star needs a confidence booster in the same way his new team-mate got one at the weekend.
Havertz has had a difficult start to life at Arsenal since joining from London rivals Chelsea in the summer. Many supporters questioned his signing, especially at a fee of up to £65million.
Mikel Arteta has used the German in a left-sided No 8 role but he has taken his time to adapt to new surroundings. Those fans who already doubted Havertz only had their opinions strengthened in the opening weeks of the campaign.
It was clear he was in need of a goal to get him up and running. His team-mates had to literally lay it on a plate for him at Bournemouth on Saturday, handing him the Gunners’ second penalty of the afternoon in a classy gesture from skipper Martin Odegaard.
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It ended a run of 20 club games without a goal for Havertz, dating back to Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Everton in March. Arsenal will be hoping that is a weight off the 24-year-old’s shoulders to give him the freedom to show why Arteta splashed out as much as he did.
Arsenal fans were almost in party mode after Havertz’s goal. A penalty may not be enough to win them over completely, but it’s a start.
Now it’s Smith Rowe who needs that goal. Unlike Havertz, he doesn’t need to win over any supporters as he is already loved by the Emirates faithful.
But perhaps even more importantly, he needs to earn the trust of his manager. Smith Rowe made his first start since May 2022 in last Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win over Brentford.
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Injury ruled him out for the back end of last year but he has been mostly fit throughout 2023 so far. He has just not been able to do enough to catch Arteta’s eye.
Smith Rowe hasn’t scored for the Gunners in 531 days, spanning 24 matches in all competitions. He had a great chance to break that duck on Saturday at Bournemouth but he fluffed his lines when it looked easier to score.
You could tell how disappointed he was with the miss after the match. While Havertz and the majority of Arsenal’s players celebrated their 4-0 win with the travelling support, Smith Rowe was seen with his hand on his face, being consoled by assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Arsenal have changed greatly in the last 18 months or so while Smith Rowe has become somewhat of a forgotten man. A goal in Lens this evening will make him feel a real part of the team again.
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