Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe could reportedly make a move to Newcastle in the January transfer window.

It is claimed the midfielder is not trusted by Mikel Arteta after not starting a Premier League match since May 2022.

Smith Rowe has become somewhat of a forgotten man in the last 18 months. Injury saw him miss a large chunk of action and he has been unable to win back a starting spot.

He made his first start in 499 days in the Carabao Cup win over Brentford last month. But he has been restricted to roles off the bench in the league and Champions League.

Chelsea were linked with a late move for Smith Rowe in the summer transfer window. Arsenal and Arteta were determined to keep him beyond deadline day and give him a chance to stake his claim.

But if Smith Rowe doesn’t feature more regularly before January, the situation could change. According to 90min, Arteta doesn’t have full trust in Smith Rowe and that could see him leave.

It is claimed Newcastle are interested in the player if he becomes available. Aston Villa are also still keen having failed to sign him a couple of years ago, while Brighton are also named as admirers.

Smith Rowe will wait to see if anything changes before the winter window. He will have two-and-a-half years remaining on his Gunners contract come January.

Smith Rowe is a hugely popular player with Arsenal fans but he has fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates. Arteta sees him as a midfielder despite making much of his early appearances as a winger.

The arrivals of Fabio Vieira and Kai Havertz in the last 12 months have seen Smith Rowe drop out of favour. Arteta has challenged the 23-year-old to prove he should be playing on a more regular basis.

He said: “Here he is incredibly popular. We all love him. It’s no different to what the people feel to what we feel about him.

“There’s been many reasons why he hasn’t started a match. He was out for a long, long time. He had a sequence of matches that he played with the national team, then he came in and didn’t participate.

“He needs time on the pitch, he needs opportunities, and we want to provide that to him. Then he needs to prove it like anybody else on the field that he deserves to play.

“He needs to be a big part of this team. But he is clear on what he needs to do. He needs to perform on the pitch, to give the best for us and to win games for us.”