Ex-Newcastle United striker Andy Cole has urged Emile Smith Rowe to leave Arsenal and join his former club.

The England international has struggled to get game time with the Gunners over the last twelve months and, speaking to Betfred, Cole says the player would be much better off if he makes the switch to St James’ Park

“It’s another player that I’m shocked to see not playing as often as we all expected them to. Everybody was talking about him two years ago.”

“He was Arsenal’s future, a local lad that came from their youth set-up, but in the last two years later, he’s sadly fallen off the face of the earth. I don’t understand why he’s struggling so much for game time because he’s a very talented player, but it’s evident that Mikel Arteta prefers other players to him and right now, I can’t see how he will get back into their starting eleven.”

“Why would he not want to join Newcastle United? There’re not many better places for you to go and play football than Newcastle and they’re only getting bigger and the ongoing project at the club is massive. It would be very difficult for Emile to turn this move down.”

Smith Rowe would be a great addition to Newcastle’s squad

Manager Eddie Howe has been looking for a No.10 for quite some time. Both James Maddison and Dominik Szoboszlai were heavily linked with the Magpies before they joined other clubs.

Smith Rowe does seem to be an excellent alternative. He is proven in the Premier League (having scored 10 league goals during the 2021/22 season) and he is still only 23.

Arsenal may demand a sizeable fee

The biggest obstacle to Smith Rowe joining Newcastle is the price tag. Reports suggest that the Gunners may demand as much as £60m.

With the likes of Chelsea having made enquiries for the midfielder in the past, and West Ham also said to be interested, they may feel that competition for the player’s signature will be enough to get the sort of fee they want. The Magpies would probably move on to other targets if his valuation doesn’t come down.

You can watch the documentary – Newcastle United: The Road Back To Europe on Shots! TV here