I had the opportunity to sign for Manchester City, but declined their offer because I didn’t want to sleep at their academy

I had the opportunity to sign for Manchester City, but declined their offer because I didn’t want to sleep at their academy

Emile Smith Rowe has offered Arsenal another grim reminder ahead of their showdown with Man City.

Arsenal Training Session

 

The sight of Emile Smith Rowe scoring for Fulham in their 3-1 win against Newcastle on Saturday would have delighted some Arsenal supporters. Selfishly-speaking, there may be others at the Emirates questioning why he was allowed to leave this summer.

 

The 24-year-old joined the Cottagers in a club record £34 million move and has hit the ground running in west London. Smith Rowe has already scored two goals and set up one for Marco Silva’s side as he looks a rebuild his career after frustrating two years hit by injury.

 

At the same time, Arsenal have been left without their captain Martin Odegaard for what is expected to be up to eight weeks after the playmaker sustained ankle ligament damage while on international duty with Norway.

 

It is not lost on Arsenal fans that Smith Rowe would be the obvious choice to come into the team for Odegaard if he was still at the club. However, the Gunners have been left short of options ahead of their crunch clash with Manchester City.

 

Arteta made it clear that he did not want Smith Rowe to leave the club this summer, admitting he felt “really sad” about his exit in August.

 

“I think he was the player that made our supporters and the team click, in a way. I don’t know how to explain it but that was my feeling. Something changed when he came in the team. He created a different energy straight away.

 

The player’s desire for first-team football left him at a crossroads in his career, though, and Smith Rowe departed with the well wishes of his boyhood club. He is now thriving at Craven Cottage. But back in North London, his exit has left them with a bitter pill to swallow.

 

Arteta’s reluctant decision to let him leave means the Spaniard is scrambling to find a replacement alongside Declan Rice and Thomas Partey in the midfield three.

 

Manchester United FC v Fulham FC – Premier League

Emile Smith Rowe has started very well for Fulham (Image: GETTY)

Kai Havertz has operated in midfield before, but the German it is far from the same creative influence that Odegaard often is in the final third. Leandro Trossard could also be deployed as a No. 10, although the Belgian is much more effective from the left flank.

 

To add to Arteta’s frustration, his summer signing Mikel Marino has been ruled out with a shoulder injury since his £33m move from Real Sociedad.

 

And while Arsenal made do without Rice in the 1-0 win over Tottenham in the north London derby, facing Pep Guardiola’s champions will prove to be a stiffer task and especially so without Odegaard.

 

It may have been the right move for all parties concerned for Smith Rowe to leave at the time, but now Arsenal are left counting the cost of their summer transfer business ahead of a crucial game in their season.

 

Ismael Bennacer moved to the Gunners in 2015 but made just one senior appearance for the club before moving to Italy, where his career took off
Former Arsenal midfielder Ismael Bennacer

Former Arsenal midfielder Ismael Bennacer in action during his brief time at the club.
Former Arsenal starlet Ismael Bennacer has revealed that he had the opportunity to sign for Manchester City, but declined their offer as they wanted him to sleep at their academy.

The Algerian international joined the Gunners in 2015, but only made a single appearance before moving to Italy in 2017. He then found great success with Empoli, and later, AC Milan.

The 26-year-old spoke about his chance to join City, stating that he “wasn’t feeling it” upon visiting their facilities. He recounted a conversation with Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, who was then the the Blues’ academy chief.

Speaking to Instant Foot, Bennacer explained how both clubs were interested in him and what ultimately influenced his decision. The Milan ace said: “(City) called me and told me ‘We want you to be with the reserves’ and everything. It’s City, man. I was ready. They told me ‘Come see the facilities’ – so I did. I got there, I don’t know, I wasn’t feeling it.”

Bennacer admitted being impressed by City’s state-of-the-art facilities but expressed concerns over the club’s plans for him. He also mentioned that City were hesitant to allow him his own living arrangements, reports the Mirror.

“Their facilities were crazy. Amazing. I spoke with Vieira and everything,” he said. “I liked the talk we had, but the fact they wanted me at the academy to sleep there… I wanted a flat. I wanted my sister to come with me. That’s why I dropped City. Then there was Arsenal towards the end of July.”

The midfielder later cashed in on his early promise by winning titles in Italy. After winning Serie B with Empoli, he then clinched the coveted Serie A title with AC Milan in May 2022 after signing for the club in a €16million deal.

0_JS188313655.jpg
Bennacer was awarded the player of the tournament at AFCON in 2019 (Image: REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham)
Bennacer also triumphed in the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 and was even named Player of the Tournament. Although his time at Arsenal didn’t yield a first-team breakthrough, he told Sport Bible in December 2023 how it laid the foundations for his success.

“At Arsenal, my goal wasn’t to play in the reserve team but the first team,” he said. “I wasn’t given that opportunity but it was a positive experience that helped me in my career.”

Sharing his thoughts that both clubs share an ethos, Bennacer claims he has unfinished business with Milan. However he also hinted at the possibility of rejoining the Gunners some day.

“It’s ‘true’ that Arsenal are among the clubs close to my heart,” he said. “Arsenal and Milan have many similarities in terms of the organisation and the fact they are family clubs.

“The Premier League is a very big competition and anyone would want to play there. But Milan is also a massive club and I feel very, very happy here. I’m someone who always likes to have targets for the future, but there are lots of things I still want to achieve with Milan. We’ll see.”