At the beginning of August 2024, the Club announced the signing of Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal for an undisclosed fee.

He penned a five-year contract, keeping him at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2029, with a Club option to extend by a further 12 months.

A versatile attacking player, he primarily operated off the left wing for the Gunners, but is comfortable anywhere behind the striker, or in a slightly deeper midfield role.

A lifelong Londoner, Smith Rowe – who turned 24 last Sunday – was born just 10 miles away from the Cottage, in Croydon, joining the Arsenal academy a decade later.

His first taste of senior football came in 2018/19 when he made six appearances across the UEFA Europa League and League Cup, scoring an impressive three times in those outings, before a brief loan spell in Germany with RB Leipzig in the second half of the campaign. 

A Premier League debut arrived that December, before another loan – this time at second tier Huddersfield Town – where he scored his first league goal in a 3-2 defeat by Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Smith Rowe impressed during his time in Yorkshire, and scored the late winner against West Bromwich Albion that confirmed their Championship survival in the penultimate match of the season.

2020/21 saw Smith Rowe establish himself as a key player back with his parent club, featuring 33 times across all competitions, helping the Gunners reach the Semi-Finals of the Europa League.

His form that year saw him rewarded with the number 10 shirt. It was a responsibility he relished, ending the season with 11 club goals and international recognition, scoring once in three appearances for Gareth Southgate’s side in 2021/22.

A year later he was named in the England squad for the 2023 Under-21 European Championship, scoring in the first two group games en route to the Young Lions winning the trophy.

His final season at the Emirates saw him feature 19 times across all competitions as Arsenal ran eventual champions Manchester City very close in the title race.