Joe Cole has claimed that Arsenal playmaker Emile Smith Rowe travels with the ball ‘as good as anybody’, as he told the All to Play For Podcast.
The former Premier League title-winner added that Smith Rowe is an ‘incredible’ talent, who can ‘play anywhere’ for Arsenal.
During his days as a teenager in West Ham’s ranks, Cole was regarded as one of the finest youngsters in the country.
He hadn’t even kicked a ball in senior football, yet he was considered to be one of, if not, the best talent coming through, at the time.
Therefore, the ex-England international understands what it’s like to be in that big talent spotlight, which Smith Rowe finds himself in now.
But the ex-footballer turned pundit shared why that spotlight is shining that bit different on the Hale-End academy product compared to his days.
“With Emile, what has helped him is that there is an abundance of talent all over the country,” said Cole. “So, we can’t just say ‘Oh, Rooney’s coming through now let us all pin our hopes on him’.
“There are so many now. Foden, Grealish, Maddison, Sancho and Hudson-Odoi. It’s like take your pick on all of them.
“I think he’s incredible. I think he travels with the ball as good as anyone in the Premier League.
“I like him off the left of a front three or as a ten. One of them two – Smith Rowe is one of them players that he can play anywhere.”
What’s even more impressive about Smith Rowe’s performance is that he has stepped up during a period the club has struggled most.
It’s the young guns, like Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka that are getting Arsenal out of their current mess.
It speaks volumes about the qualities they have in their locker, their strong characters and the type of talent Arsenal are cooking up in their academy.
Either way, if Smith Rowe continues down this current road, then there’s no reason why Mikel Arteta shouldn’t guide the team to a European finish this season.
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