Arsenal to offer Emile Smith Rowe bumper new contract in line with Bukayo Saka

Arsenal are ready to hand Emile Smith Rowe a new contract to secure his long-term future at the Emirates.

The 20-year-old has exploded onto the scene over the past month after being given a chance by Mikel Arteta.

With the Gunners desperate for more creativity in the middle, Smith Rowe has supplied it and more.

In five Premier League appearances, he has already got three assists.

It has coincided with an upturn in form, with four wins and one draw in those matches, whereas before Arsenal had managed just four wins in 14.

The Croydon-born ace currently earns around £15,000-a-week which will expire in the summer of 2023.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are preparing a new contract worth £40,000-a-week that will secure his long-term future.

The club are desperate to remove any uncertainty of the midfielder leaving or creating further problems down the line.

The bumper pay rise will see Smith Rowe get pay parity with fellow young sensation Bukayo Saka.

The England international has been a key player for Arteta this season and signed a £40,000-a-week deal earlier this term.

Smith Rowe was on form again this week in the 3-0 win over Newcastle where he set Saka up for the second goal of the night.

The victory took Arsenal into the top-half of the Premier League as they look to bounce back from their disastrous start to the season.

And Arteta was full of praise for Smith Rowe and Saka but also insisted the need to protect them.

“When we are winning, they put a smile on my face,” he said. “I know what they are capable of doing.

“They are developing really well, and that’s a merit to them, a merit for their team-mates and everybody that is involved to try to support them and protect them as well.

“But the performances that they are putting in are extraordinary.”

He added: “The boys [protect them] with the personalities that we have in the dressing room, with the senior players, with the other young players that we have as well – and obviously the staff as well – which they need.

“The expectations are gonna be high with them and we have to take them through the right path.

“I think it’s [a boost] for everyone to have that mix of energy, passion and a little bit of immaturity at times that is good.”

* Sign up to the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip