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Emile Smith Rowe has joined RB Leipzig on loan after the German club’s lengthy pursuit of the Arsenal prospect finally paid off.

The 18-year-old, widely considered one of the brightest young prospects to come out of Arsenal’s Hale End academy in several years, will spend the remainder of the season on loan at the Bundesliga club, where he can expect to gain more regular first-team football.

football.london understands that Leipzig will pay in excess of £1million to loan Smith Rowe, a fee that could rise in light of a number of performance-based add-ons. They will not have a purchase option on the youngster, who is viewed at a building block of the future by Unai Emery.

Leipzig have long admired the youngster and made a loan offer to Arsenal in the summer. There was a serious possibility Smith Rowe might have gone out then but head coach Unai Emery’s personal intervention convinced him to stay.

Emery believed that Smith Rowe’s long-term development at Arsenal would be better served if the youngster spent the early months of his reign learning the new system he was implementing and familiarising himself with the first team

That has certainly been the case as Smith Rowe has made a major impact from his relatively limited opportunities, scoring three goals in six first team appearances this season. He has also been named on the substitutes’ bench in the Premier League on three occasions.

(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

However his opportunities would likely be more limited in the second half of the season after Arsenal loaned Denis Suarez from Barcelona. A natural No.10 who can also play on the flanks, the Spaniard offers a similar skill set to Smith Rowe but offers greater experience as the Gunners battle to qualify for the Champions League, either through a top four finish or Europa League victory.

The Gunners also hope to secure Belgian international winger Yannick Carrasco from Dalian Yifang, though they face a battle with AC Milan and Inter Milan to secure his signature.

Smith Rowe is likely to have more opportunities to prove himself at Leipzig, currently fourth in the Bundesliga. The Saxony club enjoyed success when taking Ademola Lookman on loan from Everton last season and are among a string of German clubs eager to exploit the English market.

(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

He may have to wait to make his debut however. Smith Rowe is still recovering from a hip injury but his new club are prepared to be patient.

Leipzig were not the only club who tried to sign Smith Rowe on loan this month. football.london understands a team in the top half of the Premier League also tried to bring him in on loan but the playmaker and his representatives felt he would get more game time in Germany.

Arsenal themselves are also seeing the benefits of the Bundesliga’s commitment to youth development after sending Reiss Nelson to spend a season with Hoffenheim. The winger, 19, has scored six goals in 13 league appearances, earning his first call-up to the England Under-21 side.

Nelson’s success has encouraged Arsenal to favour further loan moves to the German market and Eddie Nketiah is expected to follow Smith Rowe to the continent by joining Augsburg.

“Some Bundesliga clubs are very interesting for us and the way [Nelson] could make an impact at Hoffenheim was by starting on the bench but then scoring immediately,” academy chief Per Mertesacker said in December.

“Through scoring those goals, he gained trust from the coach, from the fans, by learning some German and earning the right to start and make an impact.

(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“I think he has done a brilliant job but that all fell into place because he wanted to go. He had a great opportunity but you need to take these opportunities and make sure you learn from those moments. Instead of being a first-team player between the under-23s and the first team, this is something different.

“It’s difficult to manage and I’m really pleased and glad that it’s worked right now for him. We have other prospects we really need to think about. What’s their best path towards making an impact for our first team? There are different ways, different challenges.”

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