New Fulham sensation Emile Smith Rowe has opened up about his newfound confidence after leaving behind a “tough” spell at Arsenal.
The 24-year-old playmaker has been in scintillating form since joining Marco Silva’s outfit, netting again in their impressive 3-1 victory over Newcastle.
His £27million move from the Gunners is paying dividends, with Smith Rowe finding the back of the net for the second time this season and becoming an integral part of Silva’s starting lineup in all five Premier League matches thus far.
Reflecting on his resurgence, Smith Rowe shared: “I’m really confident at the moment and comfortable with everything. I’ve got to keep going and keep working hard. Everyone knows it has been a tough couple of seasons for me. I have to stay fit and I feel good at the moment. I’m feeling confident and happy.”
During his tenure with Arsenal, Smith Rowe scored 12 goals across 80 league appearances, but these were spread out over six years, with 37 of those games seeing him come on as a substitute. Now thriving at Fulham, who have only suffered one loss so far, he played a pivotal role in handing Newcastle their first defeat of the season.
When quizzed about what contributed to his team’s success, Smith Rowe highlighted: “Sticking together and staying patient at times.
“We know Newcastle are a really strong team so we had to sit at times and be patient, get the ball and score. We’re really happy. We’re happy we took our chances.
“In the first few games we struggled to take our chances, so we’re happy with our three goals. It starts off the pitch, it’s like a family in there and we know we want to do everything for each other and want to work and want to win.”
Smith Rowe’s success is coming at a curious time for the Gunners, as he may have been handed a chance during a crucial period of the season if he stayed in north London.
Martin Odegaard has been ruled out for eight weeks and with a lack of suitable alternatives in the squad, with summer signing Mikel Merino also absent, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz have been forced to drop deeper.
But Smith Rowe was a ready-made replacement for the Arsenal captain, only to have made the short journey to Fulham while his former employers watch on as he rubs salt in their wounds.
