Emile Smith Rowe wasted no time in making an impression for Fulham after scoring seven minutes into his debut.
The Cottagers signed the midfielder in a club-record £34million deal last week to bring an end to his 14-year stay in north London.
A hugely popular figure amongst Gunners’ supporters, the 24-year-old has already shown that Arsenal could regret letting him go moments after being brought on for the second half..
Facing Sevilla in a pre-season friendly in Portugal – a match they lost 2-1 – Smith Rowe was introduced off the bench with his side two goals down, before immediately halving the deficit with a diving header following an Antonee Robinson cross.
While Fulham supporters will be delighted to see their new signing off the mark, Gooners are already missing the Hale End graduate.
“I’m gonna miss him at Arsenal,” said one fan on social media, while another wrote: “We never should have sold this chap.”
A third supporter posted on X: “God I will miss Smith Rowe so bad.”
This fan commented: “[Alex] Iwobi and Smith Rowe are going to make us lose the league by one point, aren’t they?”
“That’s it. We want him back,” messaged another Arsenal supporter, while one more simply stated: “Tears in my eyes”.
Smith Rowe – who made 115 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 15 goals and offering 13 assists – couldn’t hide his delight after completing his move to west London.
Expressing his excitement to Fulham’s website, Smith Rowe said: “I’m finally here, so I’m really happy for me and my family – it’s a good moment.
“I’m really excited, I just wanted to get here as quickly as possible so I could get going with my teammates.
2
“Listening to the project, speaking to the manager [Marco Silva], and seeing what players we have here already, I think it’s an exciting project for me, and definitely the perfect step for my career going forward.”
Arteta meanwhile has been left gutted by his sale, as he remarked: “Emile’s commitment, attitude and energy every day was first class, always stepping up when the team needed him.
“He came into the first team and was instrumental during a difficult moment for us.
“He created an important impression, with his strong performances making our supporters proud.
“I’m sad that Emile is leaving us, but excited for him to take this new opportunity at this stage of his career, when he needs to be starting matches and playing regularly.
“Emile is loved by everyone at the club and leaves us with our gratitude, absolute respect and best wishes.
“We all wish Emile and his family well at Fulham.”
Keep up to date with all the latest news, rumours and gossip with our LIVE transfer blog
News Summary:
- ‘Tears in my eyes’ – Emile Smith Rowe shows Arsenal what they’re missing just seven minutes into Fulham debut
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.