With Aston Villa being tipped to launch a third bid for Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe, Dean Smith will hope to form a dangerous attacking quartet next season.
Despite having had two offers rejected by Arsenal for their prized asset already, BirminghamLive report that Villa are expected to try for a third time to prise the 20-year-old away from north London.
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Time will tell whether or not it’s a successful pursuit, but given Villa continue to go back and raise their offer, that would arguably suggest that they genuinely believe that signing Smith Rowe is a possibility this summer and that they’re not wasting their time by not targeting alternative solutions.
Smith Rowe enjoyed an impressive season last year, scoring seven goals and providing seven assists in 37 appearances across all competitions both at youth and senior level, as he showcased his talent and evidently has huge potential moving forward as he continues to develop his game.
However, given the report above, time will tell whether that process continues at Arsenal or if Villa manage to convince him to start a new challenge with us this summer.
Smith Rowe addition would create mouth-watering attacking Villa line-up
The lazy assumption for many would be that Smith Rowe’s possible arrival would signal Jack Grealish’s departure, but as noted by The Telegraph last week, Villa want to sign our talismanic captain to a new deal and there is a sense of optimism that he will.
Part of that strategy to convince him to put to paper is to enjoy a strong transfer window, and while the addition of Emiliano Buendia for a club transfer record was a sign in itself of the ambition of the club’s owners, adding Smith Rowe to that mix would certainly show Grealish, and the rest of the Premier League, that we mean business this season and beyond.
With Ollie Watkins set to lead the line for Villa again next season, he could be licking his lips at the prospect of having Grealish, Buendia and Smith Rowe behind him creating opportunities for him and each other, as that would certainly add dangerous new dynamics to our attack with a significant increase in creativity that was lacking last season, particularly when our skipper was sidelined by injury.
It’s worth stressing that it still feels unlikely that we’ll convince Arsenal to green light an exit for one of their most promising talents, but as stated above, Villa aren’t trying to do favours for others and if they’re set to bid again, it must be for a reason.
The hope is that we can get a deal done in the coming weeks and boast arguably one of the most potent attacks in the Premier League if things click and if the players in question take their respective games to the next level.
While there are still areas to address in midfield and defence, Villa could be three or four signings away from positioning themselves perfectly for an assault on the top six to break into Europe next year.
