After Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe essentially beat Tottenham themselves on 26th September 2021, Arsenal fans thought their next era was beginning. Of course it was, but it was to be another number 10 who took the place of Emile Smith-Rowe, with the man once dubbed "the Croydon de Bruyne" now seemingly on his way out of the Emirates.
That 3 - 1 derby win over Spurs, along with a 3 - 1 derby win over Chelsea a few months before, will certainly live in the memory of Arsenal fans where ever Smith-Rowe ends up.
It's reported that Fulham have agreed a £35,000,000 deal with the Gunners to sign their number 10 and given Smith-Rowe's struggles with injuries and the utterly ridiculous quality of Martin Odegaard's performances, it's a deal which suits both sides.
There will be sorrow on the Arsenal end of the deal however. Saka and Smith-Rowe were supposed to take over the Premier League together, and just for a moment or two, it looked as though they might just do it.
Smith-Rowe made his first-team debut in the Europa League for Unai Emery just weeks after signing a five-year professional contract as an 18-year-old in July 2018.
In just his second appearance for the club, Smith-Rowe became the first Gunner born in the 21st century to score for the club, netting in a 3 - 0 win over Azerbaijani side Qarabag. This was almost a year before Bukayo Saka scored for Arsenal.
Smith-Rowe continued to impress in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, where he scored his first home goal in a win over Blackpool.
Unai Emery then sent the teenager out on loan for the 2019-2020 season to German side RB Leipzig, but injuries limited him to just 28 minutes across three appearances.
In the second half of the following season, now under Mikel Arteta, Smith-Rowe had more success at Huddersfield Town, helping the Terriers survive in the Championship.
The real dawn of Emile Smith-Rowe however was in December 2020. After returning from his loan spell at Huddersfield, the England-U21 international was short of minutes, especially in the Premier League. Until Boxing Day.
Arteta trusted him with the number 10 role against bitter rivals Chelsea and he delivered in a big way, helping Arsenal turn a corner in a 3 - 1 derby win.
Smith-Rowe started the next five matches, recording three assists and scoring his first goal of the season in an FA Cup victory over Newcastle.
Arsenal had a poor end to the season and lost their opening three games of the 2020-2021 season. Tottenham in contrast won their opening three fixtures. But heading into the first derby of that season, Spurs lost two in a row while the Gunners saw off Norwich and Burnley.
So if the Gunners beat Tottenham, they would overtake their North London rivals. Smith-Rowe made sure they did.
It was in this particular North London Derby win that the sensation of the "Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe"song really kicked off, with the two starlets having a hand in all three goals. There's a famous clip from the All or Nothing Arsenal show where Saka says to his friend "imagine scoring in a North London Derby".
Like every child who grows up supporting not just Arsenal but any club, the peak of their dream was scoring in their club's biggest game. So imagine just how special it must have been for them to achieve it together within just over 20 minutes of each other.
Despite increasingly predictable injury problems throughout the 2021/2022 season, Smith-Rowe became the first Hale End graduate to score 10 times in a Premier League season since Cesc Fabregas. It could've been the beginning of a legend.
Since the start of the 2022-2023 season though, Smith-Rowe has very much been left behind by Bukayo Saka. A groin injury kept Smith-Rowe sidelined at the start of the 2022-2023 season and a certain Norwegian play maker ensured he wouldn't be getting too many minutes anymore.
There have been some opportunities for Smith-Rowe over the past couple of seasons, including a man-of-the-match performance against Luton in April.
Ultimately Arsenal are not a club satisfied simply qualifying for the Champions League anymore. The Gunners want more, and that means that some players have to be moved on.
But while similar conversations may well be coming about Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah, it doesn't sting quite as much as the departure of Smith-Rowe. It's easy for those who don't support Arsenal to see past him with Odegaard the heart of Arsenal's midfield now, but it was supposed to be Smith-Rowe.
This is nothing against Odegaard, who is possibly the very best of Arsenal's immensely talented squad, but there is always something special about a home-grown talent making it all the way to the first team.
There's a real opportunity for him at Fulham with an excellent manager in Marco Silva. Smith-Rowe fits their 4-2-3-1 system to a tee, either as the number 10 directly behind Rodrigo Muniz or as one of the wide midfielders.
Crystal Palace have also been considered a dark horse in the race to sign the midfielder, and with Michael Olise off to Bayern Munich, the Eagles could get the best out of Smith-Rowe.
With game time, he could really excel in the Premier League and reach the potential he couldn't quite sustain at Arsenal.
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