Why Arteta must give £67m Arsenal stars Smith Rowe and Ramsdale the treatment

A quick look at the Arsenal side that took on Mikel Arteta’s first game was evidence of the massive transformation the team has undergone.

Early on, he had to rely on defenders like Sokratis and David Luiz. In attack, Nicolas Pepe is still trying to earn a place in English football.

Now, the shooter is no longer a laughing stock. They became Premier League champions again and reached the Champions League final.

This wouldn’t happen without a little cruelty. At one stage, Emile Smith Rowe even played a huge role in keeping Arteta in the job. Aaron Ramsdale also looks to be their best gloveman in years. Both ended up in tears.

What’s wrong with Smith Rowe at Arsenal

Before the emergence of Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman, Smith Rowe was regarded as one of the best young players in the academy.

He and Bukayo Saka are like two peas in a pod, with Arteta calling on the pair as a consolation to supporters with Arsenal in real trouble following the end of Unai Emery’s tenure. They are the light at the end of the tunnel.

Under the guidance of Arteta, Smith Rowe quickly went from the No. 32 jersey to the historic No. 10 jersey, which is well-deserved.

After loan spells at RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town, the young attacking midfielder finally made his mark at the Emirates Stadium. In the 2020/21 season, Arteta’s first full season, he scored 4 goals and assisted 7 times. The 2021/22 season is the best season of his career, scoring 11 goals. In the process, he earned a call-up to the England squad.

However, he did not score another goal for Arsenal over the next two seasons. Why? Well, a series of injuries and absences meant that he was quickly moved up the pecking order as Arteta’s side got better and better.

The Englishman missed a total of 78 games, the equivalent of two full seasons as a senior player at Arsenal. Nonetheless, he has also fallen out of favor with Arteta. Such a high volume of turnovers meant he was never able to establish any meaningful rhythm. So, in 2023, he made the most difficult decision in his career: leave.

What’s wrong with Ramsdale at Arsenal

As far as Ramsdale is concerned, his Arsenal career was very different from that of Smith Rowe. This is also more cruel.

In August 2021, the Gunners signed the goalkeeper from Sheffield United for £24 million. The move was met with skepticism. He was relegated in two consecutive seasons with Sheffield United and Bournemouth.

However, initially he did not perform like a goalkeeper that he deserved and was sent off twice. Ramsdale won over Arsenal fans not only for his performances with the bat but also for his personality. His penchant for irritating opposition supporters and his penchant for getting into trouble resonated with fans at the Emirates Stadium.

He was offered a new contract in the summer of 2023, the same year Smith Rowe left, and it looks like the goalkeeper will be Arteta’s number one for many years to come.

However, this is far from reality. The Gunners signed David Raya on an initial loan deal and Ramsdale was replaced at the end of the first international break of the 2023/24 season. Why? Well, Arteta wants more security. That moment against Southampton a season ago was perhaps the decisive one. In a horrific 3-3 draw with Southampton, he made the horrific mistake of passing the ball straight to goal-scoring Charlie Alcarez.

A lack of focus, a lack of decisiveness in crucial moments, is why Arteta turned to Raya. It’s a brilliant design; he’s one of the best defenders in the world right now.

Arsenal superstar must enjoy Ramsdale and Smith Rowe treatment

Arteta is a ruthless coach. We saw this not only with Ramsdale and Smith Rowe, but with many other players during his tenure in north London.

When it comes time to upgrade, the Spaniard usually doesn’t waste much time. Within a few years, he had pushed aside Gabriel Jesus and Alexander Zinchenko. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have also been told to look for new clubs after winning the league title.

Action pictures via Reuters/Paul Childs

Now, just weeks after their exit, the leadership is surely considering giving the same treatment to a certain Eberechi Eze.

Why? Well, his time at the Emirates Stadium was extremely chaotic in nature. Signed from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2025 for £67m, a fantastic signing.

Arsenal beat rivals Tottenham Hotspur to sign him, and he scored five goals against them last season. This included a stunning hat-trick in the Premier League.

Beyond that, however, there isn’t much to praise about Eze. The truth is, this is a player that the head coach doesn’t have much confidence in. That was evident after the 2-1 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park last December.

In the build-up to the first goal, he failed to track Matty Cash and was subsequently substituted at half-time. Eze played 57 minutes in the next game against Wolves but then did not play a minute in the next four Premier League games.

While the attacker did earn some trust towards the end of last season, he hasn’t quite earned it at the start of the new season.

With the departures of Trossard and Martinelli, Eze has been deployed on the left wing, but Cristo Zolis has so far been the first choice. Eze’s performances in the last two cup games against Napoli and Ipswich showed why.

In the game against Naples, Arsenal had 26 shots, but only one was made by an Englishman. He created just two chances and won just two of seven duels. Max Dauman and Noni Maduk did stand out against Ipswich, but not Eze. He only had one shot this time and completed just one of his four dribbles.

Reuters/Hannah McKay

In fact, he lacks the spark that made him one of the best players in England during his time at Crystal Palace.

So, with Arsenal still hungry for a truly elite left-winger, it wouldn’t be a surprise if an upgrade was made to replace him in one of the next two transfer windows. Like Ramsdale, Smith Rowe, Jesus and Zinchenko, Arteta needs to be ruthless again here.