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Arsenal have a real gem on their hands in ‘exceptional’ 20-year-old playmaker shining on loan – TBR View
Arsenal academy playmaker Matt Smith has made quite a name for himself away from the Emirates Stadium on loan this season.
The 20-year-old came through the ranks at Hale End after joining Arsenal’s Under-9s, and signed his first professional Gunners contract in February 2019.
He captained Arsenal’s Under-18s to the Premier League South title in 2018-19, playing every minute for his side, and was a regular in the Under-23s last season.
Smith also trained frequently with the Arsenal first-team and has made the matchday squad on six occasions, including in the FA Cup final, where he got his hands on a winners’ medal.
Currently on loan at Swindon Town, Smith has played every minute of their League One campaign thus far, and played a huge part in helping the Robins to a 3-3 draw at Shrewsbury last Saturday, scoring a last-minute equaliser.
“Smith resisted the temptation to play too many difficult passes, displayed excellent footwork on several occasions and scored the vital goal in injury time,” wrote the , who gave him 8 out of 10.
It was just one of numerous high-calibre performances Smith has put in this season, and a cross-section of Swindon fan comments about him shows just how much of an impact he’s made in Wiltshire:
Feel sorry for how good Matt Smith is, amongst players who are well below his level.
— Tom Carter (@TCarter66208)
These clowns don’t deserve to be on the same team sheet as Matt smith
— • (@_roryhalliday)
Matt Smith is absolutely class considering he had never played at senior level before joining us
— James (@jamesnotjaems)
Hardest working player on the pitch
— oscar manners, you say? (@oscarmrocks)
Matt Smith – oozes class even when the rest are struggling.
— Paul Manning (@BernimanUK)
Matt Smith's reading of the game is exceptional.
— Lest we forget (@TrevorSTFC)
The Arsenal describes Smith as a “composed midfielder with an eye for a pass”, who “typically looks to operate as a deep-lying playmaker, tasked with controlling the tempo of games and picking out runners in the final third.”
Could Smith’s displays and progress be giving Mikel Arteta food for thought in the long term? One thing’s for sure – Arsenal have a real gem on their hands.