Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe has vowed not to leave the club on his own until the manager Mikel Arteta declares he no longer wants him at the Emirates Stadium.
Rowe said he won’t give up but will fight for a place in the team’s starting XI as speculation grows over his future at his boyhood club.
The Englishman struggled for game time last season over fitness issues and played just fifteen games appearances, mostly from the bench, for Arsenal.
The 22-year-old was touted as a future star for Arsenal, but he somewhat regressed in the recently concluded season.
Speaking with The Times, Smith Rowe insisted that Arteta wants to keep him at the North London club.
“Arsenal are my club, and I’m not going to give up until [Mikel Arteta] says he doesn’t want me,” Smith Rowe said.
“But that is not the case. He wants me as part of the team, and I want to fight for my place and get back in the team.”