Whilst the rules dictate that a club must not contact a player or their representatives without the permission of his current club, this is unworkable in the real world.
If a team is looking at signing a player, they need to know said player is interested. Otherwise they could be wasting a lot if time negotiating and agreeing a fee with the selling club to only find out their target has no interest in joining.
So Aston Villa are reportedly coming back in with a 3rd bid for Emile Smith Rowe having already made 2 very public bids. They seem determined to sign their man.
To still be chasing Smith Rowe, they must have got assurances from the midfielders “people” that he would be interested in joining them.
Now it might be a negotiating tactic, an attempt to drive up the value of his new contract. But it also might be that Smith Rowe feels now is the right time to leave Arsenal.
So having had a huge break through last year, just why would Smith Rowe be looking to leave the club he grow up playing for?
First Team Football
It is no secret that Arsenal are looking at adding extra creativity going forward.
To put bluntly, the club are trying to sign a number 10 better than Smith Rowe.
They tried to do it in January with the loan signing of Martin Odergaard, but the Englishman arguably out performed him.
Having had a sniff of regular first team football, perhaps he does not want to go back to sitting on the bench in the same way Emi Martinez did not last summer.
Aston Villa have already signed Emi Buendia; but the former Norwich player has tended to play out wide.
Spending big on Buendia and Smith Rowe would probably be funded by the departure of Jack Grealish. Smith Rowe would be coming in as Grealish’s direct replacement. Straight into the first team.
World Cup 2022
There is a World Cup at the end of next year.
England have an abundance of attacking midfielder with the likes of Grealish, Phil Foden, Mason Mount and James Maddison.
Smith Rowe has an outside chance of making the squad for that World Cup, but as long as he is playing regular football.
Playing second fiddle to (for example) Maddison at Arsenal would severely restrict his chances of making that squad.
But playing week in week out for Villa, putting in the kind of performances he has for Arsenal in the last 6 months. He would have a chance of being on the plane to Qatar.
Smith Rowe needs regular football to be on the plane.
Money
In years gone past, the bigger clubs could keep hold of their second string players due to the wages they were on.
Someone like Smith Rowe would have earned more sitting on Arsenal’s bench than playing week in week out for someone like Villa.
Smith Rowe is reportedly on £20,000 a week at Arsenal.
In recent months Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka both agreed new deals in the region of £80,000 a week.
Smith Rowe is probably the level below them at the moment, so you would be surprised if the new offer on the table to him was any more than £60,000 a week.
Arsenal have a wage structure and paying him much more than that, as a “2nd string” player, and someone with such little experience would upset the apple cart too much.
£60,000 a week would already put him into the same ball park as more established players like of Rob Holding, Mo Elneny and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Were he to go to Aston Villa, and go straight into the first team, he would expect to earn at least £60,000. Maybe more.
Buendia signed on an £80,000 a week deal. Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins are reportedly on similar.
So where as 3 or 4 years ago someone like Villa would be offering Smith Rowe less money, but first team football; they can now offer parity or more plus the first team football.
A better chance of first team football, opening the door to making the World Cup 2022 squad and pay parity. You can kind of begin to understand why Smith Rowe would be open to a move to Aston Villa.
Ultimately his agents flirting might just be an attempt to get more money out of Arsenal – closer to what we pay Saka and Martinelli.
I am sure it will all play out in the next 7 days.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 
Welcome to Villa Park ESR!
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How is ESR a second-string number 10? He along with Saka, Tierney and Pepe saved Arteta’s bacon in the second half of last season. Is that the way the club treat a future England international, who by his own admission is a boyhood Gooner? If Arsenal sell ESR for any price this summer, it will show me that the club has lost its soul. Let’s not forget the legacy sides that won the league in 89/91 even 98 were built on the foundation of home grown talent who understand what it means to play for “The Arsenal”. I would be done with both Arteta and Edu if they allowed him to be sold.
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It’s getting absurd that every single one of our clubs bloggers refuse to acknowledge the power of Aston Villa’s owners wealth & reach. If I see just one more clown write an article or post a tweet that “They’re probably funding this with Grealish money”? I’ll f’n scream.
DO YOUR RESEARCH AND STOP MAKING OUR FANBASE LOOK LIKE TINPOT CLUELESS MUGS!
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Terry, I honestly don’t think it’s the issue tbh. It’s more that Arsenal is even considering selling. That is down to an owner who once again is showing he’s not prepared to invest in the club and Arteta/Edu have to sell to buy. Not my Arsenal.
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Smith Rowe is still an amateur player for now if he refuses to sign we should demand at least 50k from villa and allow him to go and see how he will be in the next few years to come I but you if Watkins is playing for Arsenal he would have made England team this European competition Rowe will have more chance in Arsenal than any other club in England for the moment if he feel going to Aston Villa is where he want let’s take the money soldier go soldier come barracks remain the same the season that pass Gabriel Agbonlahor boasted that all he knows Aston villa will finish ahead of Arsenal but it didn’t come to pass they not even runners up Arsenal even though Arsenal played badly the good of Aston villa did not match the bad of Arsenal so he wants to go there he can do so by the time he has one injury or two we will see afterall all the time Agbonlahor played for villa he did not make England team unless friendlies so no chance for Smith Rowe there.
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But why do we pay so much money to Martinelli, he’s a second string player. Saka should be paid more than Martinelli
In that case ESR deserves same as GM who doesn’t get into the Arsenal team when everyone is fit
I can tell you there will be confrontation if ESR is sold
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