Arsenal ‘knock back’ Chelsea approach for Emile Smith Rowe — report

Chelsea may be looking to bring in one more attacking player before the transfer window slams shut on Friday, and among the names speculated recently has been Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe.

The 23-year-old England international was on a bright and upwards trajectory not that long ago, before a major injury sidetracked much of that momentum. He was limited to just 200 minutes of first-team football last season, and appears to have fallen well down the pecking order at the Gunners, leading to suggestions that he might look to leave. (He has three years left on his current contract.)

But if he is, it’s unlikely that he would come to us, with the Daily Mail reporting that Arsenal have “knocked back an initial approach” from us, and have no intention to let him go to a “direct competitor”. So that’s nice, at least they still consider us a direct competitor, despite finishing ten places below them.

The Mail add that we are “weighing up” moves for Barcelona pair Raphinha and Ferran Torres instead, while other reports recently played down the idea of signing Rayan Cherki. And Mohamed Kudus just joined West Ham.

Or perhaps we can just sit tight and not make panic moves.