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Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has claimed he let Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira go, so he could promote Ethan Nwaneri.

Smith Rowe joined Fulham on a permanent deal for a club-record fee of £34 million ($44.1m).

But Vieria is on a season-long loan with his former club FC Porto.

Ahead of Arsenal’s game this weekend where his team will come up against Smith Rowe, Arteta said: “It was a very tough decision to let Emile go, especially because personally I feel really grateful for what he did for the club and for me in a period of time when he was instrumental in changing things.

“But in the end, players have to play. He had a lot of difficult moments as well, a lot of struggles with injury when we were together, and he needed a fresh start. It’s normal, we understood, and we allowed him to go.

“We allowed Fabio to go as well because we wanted to create the room and the space for Ethan. He has given us a real reason to trust him. He has shown he’s ready to make the next step and it’s great to have him.”

EPL: Arteta names player who made him allow Smith Rowe, Vieira leave

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