Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: Kroenke handed new role, Pep Guardiola claim,

Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe is now ‘pain-free’ after a torrid season full of injury problems and now could be set for a new role in Mikel Arteta’s team. The Hale End graduate has played just 136 minutes of football for the Gunners this season but has returned at the perfect time for Arteta with the Gunners challenging for the Premier League title and Europa League.

Despite being the club’s talisman last season alongside Saka, Smith Rowe may now find himself having to drop into midfield and learn a new role in the team. According to Sky Sports, since the end of last season he has been training as one of the two more advanced central midfielders in Arteta’s reconfigured 4-3-3 system.

This could see him replace Granit Xhaka in midfield long-term and line up alongside club captain Martin Odegaard, just ahead of Thomas Partey in the defensive midfield role. Last term, Smith Rowe played in front of Kieran Tierney.

The Scotsman enjoyed overlapping on the wing to allow the 22-year-old to drift infield and impact play from a more central position. That zone is now occupied by summer signing Oleksandr Zinchenko, who often fills in alongside Partey during attacking phases, leaving Arsenal’s left winger playing closer to the touchline.

Read on here.