Emile Smith Rowe

In particular, in his final home appearance for the club, he scored the winning goal in the 86th minute against West Brom that would eventually help Huddersfield to secure EFL Championship safety.

Emile Smith Rowe (born 28 July 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Arsenal and the England national team.

His appearance was the first Arsenal professional debut by a player born in the 2000s.

On 12 May, Smith Rowe scored the only goal in an away win over Chelsea, sealing the Gunners' first win at Stamford Bridge in nearly 10 years and Arsenal's first league double over the Blues since 2004.

On 22 July 2021, Smith Rowe ended months of speculation by signing a long-term deal with the club, reported to be a five-year contract.

He was also handed the number 10 shirt for the new season, previously vacated by Mesut Özil.

Smith Rowe joined Arsenal's Hale End Academy in 2010 at the age of ten, after playing for South London-based team Glebe.

He scored after starting the following Europa League match against Qarabağ in a 3–0 victory for Arsenal, becoming the youngest Arsenal goalscorer in a competitive match since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2011, and the first player born after 2000 to score for the London club.

He scored his first goal at the Emirates in a 2–1 victory over Blackpool in the EFL Cup.

He made his first appearance for the Under-23s in 2016–17, at the age of 16.

He was a highly regarded youth player at Arsenal, whilst also playing a key part for England in their successful FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign in 2017.

He continued in the Under-23s during the 2017–18 season, making 10 appearances for the side, recorded 2 assists and 1 goal.

He signed his first professional contract with the club on 31 July 2017.

Smith Rowe's professional breakthrough came in 2018, as he made an immediate impression at senior level for Arsenal, scoring several times in his first games.

In January, Smith Rowe moved to Bundesliga's RB Leipzig on loan, playing just 3 times due to a recurring groin injury, despite this, the German club lobbied unsuccessfully for a permanent move.

Smith Rowe signed a new long-term professional contract with Arsenal on 31 July 2018, when he was described by head coach Unai Emery as having "lots of potential".

The length of the contract was not disclosed by Arsenal, but it was reported to be five years.

Smith Rowe made his Arsenal first-team competitive debut on 20 September 2018 against Vorskla Poltava in the UEFA Europa League, coming on as a second-half substitute for Alex Iwobi.

In July 2019, Smith Rowe returned to rehab at Arsenal for the first half of the season.

On 31 January 2019, he joined RB Leipzig on loan until the end of the 2018–19 season.

After signing, Leipzig discovered that Smith Rowe was not fully recovered from a groin injury.

Leipzig manager Ralf Rangnick said: "He will not be fully training with us in the next two to three weeks".

Due to his injury issue, he only played a total of 28 minutes in three substitute appearances during his time at Leipzig.

In January 2020, Smith Rowe moved to Huddersfield Town on loan, playing a key part in keeping them up in the Championship.

Upon returning from loan, Smith Rowe established himself as a key player for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta.

In July 2021, he was given the number 10 shirt vacated by Mesut Özil, and signed a long-term contract.

That following season, Smith Rowe scored ten goals in the league, and was shortlisted for the Premier League Young Player of the Season and the PFA Young Player of the Year awards.

Smith Rowe has represented every age bracket for England at youth levels.

He made his senior debut against Albania on 12 November 2021, in a 5–0 FIFA World Cup qualification victory.

On 10 January 2020, Smith Rowe joined EFL Championship club Huddersfield Town on loan until the end of the 2019–20 season.

Huddersfield manager Danny Cowley responded to supporters' wishes for Smith Rowe to play more minutes by stating: "We have to be very protective of him which none of us like. I actually boo myself when I take him off, because it's not something I want to do."

On 1 February, Smith Rowe scored his first goal for Huddersfield in a 3–2 league defeat to Fulham.

Smith Rowe's performance at Huddersfield caught the eye of many.

On 29 August 2020, Smith Rowe was named an unused substitute in the 2020 FA Community Shield, in which Arsenal defeated Premier League winners Liverpool 5–4 on penalties after the match finished 1–1 in 90 minutes.

Following his return to Arsenal, Smith Rowe struggled with injuries before returning to fitness in the autumn.

Although he performed well in Arsenal's Europa League group fixtures, scoring or assisting in each of his matches, he did not start any of Arsenal's league matches in October or November.

Following Arsenal's worst league start in decades, manager Mikel Arteta entrusted Smith Rowe with the number 10 role, replacing Willian on 26 December against London rivals Chelsea, to inspire a 3–1 home win to end the club's poor run of form.

In his next five matches, Smith Rowe recorded three assists and scored a goal in a 2–0 FA Cup victory over Newcastle United.

On 14 March 2021, Smith Rowe played in the North London derby for the first time and delivered a man of the match performance in a 2–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

On 9 May, Smith Rowe scored his first Premier League goal in a 3–1 home win over West Bromwich Albion.