Petit: Arsenal must prove their ambition to avoid losing Smith Rowe

broke through Arsenal’s senior team in their 2020-21 campaign. The English midfielder featured in 34 matches for the Gunners last season, scoring four goals and providing seven assists.

were interested in a summer deal for the 20-year-old, but Arsenal rejected their two offers for the young midfielder.

Emmanuel Petit

, who was part of Arsenal’s double-winning side of 1997-98, believes the north London club must prove they are able to compete with the Premier League front-runners.

"As a club, you need to show your players that you are ambitious,”

he told

.

“In terms of improvement, competition and ambition, it’s very important to send them a signal. Arsenal have been sliding down the table for five or six years.

“When is it going to finish? That means if I am an Arsenal player, I will be very conscious about what the club is doing in the market, who are the new players, who is leaving the club, and in the end I’ll make a conclusion.”

Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League last season. The Gunners missed out on European football for the first time in 25 years, providing enough reasons for their young stars to push for moves away from the Emirates Stadium.

“If the club is spending money on good players with character, maybe that shows they want to send a signal to the team that this season will be different to the last few seasons. That they want to get back to the level they were at before.

“Players will look at that and compare with other teams, then make a conclusion very easily. If Arsenal don’t have the team to compete for the Champions League positions, it’s going to be the same as last year and the year before.”

Asked about Smith Rowe’s transfer situation, Petit responded:

“Emile Smith Rowe is not stupid. He will be looking at guys like Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish enjoying their football with the national team, all smiling on the pitch and very relaxed with the pressure and the ambitions of their clubs and the national team. Smith Rowe will want to be the same,

“The fact that Aston Villa are interested in him is not a surprise because they avoided relegation last year, this season was brilliant for them.

“They’ve got so many young players, all enjoying their football, and Smith Rowe will be aware of that.

“He will have had some questions in his mind and I hope Arsenal gave him the answers he was expecting in terms of the transfer market and ambitions for next season.

“If this season is the same season we’ve seen from Arsenal for the last couple of years, forget it. They’re going to lose so many players at the end of the season.”

Arsenal will face the newly promoted

in their opening match of the 2021-22 season on August 13.

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