Mikel Arteta has all but confirmed Emile Smith Rowe is on the verge of leaving Arsenal but has urged Gunners fans to remain patient amid the club’s pursuit of Riccardo Calafiori.
Last season’s Premier League runners-up stepped up their preparations ahead of the new campaign with a friendly against Bournemouth in the early hours of Thursday morning in Calafornia.
The game finished 1-1 with Arsenal triumphing in a penalty shootout as Arteta handed opportunities to a number of the club’s emerging young players.
Senior stars Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus and Ben White all got useful minutes under their belt as well but, significantly, Smith Rowe was an unused substitute.
Reports broke prior to the game that the England international was on the verge of completing a £35 million move to Fulham and Arteta conceded a significant update on the midfielder’s future was imminent.
He said: ‘There are things happening in the background so we felt it was best not to use him.’
The futures of fellow Hale End Academy graduates Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson are also the subjects of intense speculation with moves to Marseille and Leicester understood to be on the cards.
‘A lot of players are being linked with potential moves,’ added the Arsenal boss. ‘It’s normal.
‘What I really like are the players that we have, the levels that they are showing. Just talking about those two the way they performed.’
Arsenal do, meanwhile, hope to complete their first major signing of the window in the form of Italy international defender Riccardo Calafiori.
Significant progress has been made on the deal in the last few days with Bologna and Basel having resolved the finer details of a sell-on clause that had caused a delay in the deal.
Arteta said: ‘There is no update. As soon as we have something to say we will say. You know I don’t like talking about external players.’
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