Emile Smith Rowe transfer buy-back clause explained as former Arsenal star impresses again

Emile Smith Rowe has once again shown what Arsenal may be missing months after leaving the club.

Smith Rowe joined Fulham in the summer, after the Gunners agreed a £34million deal for their Hale End academy graduate, who only made 19 appearances for the club last season.

The 25-year-old had failed to score across any of his final two seasons with Arsenal before his departure from the Emirates Stadium, but has been enjoying contrasting fortunes since moving to Craven Cottage.

Smith Rowe opened the scoring for Fulham in their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon and briefly thought he had doubled their lead before another effort was ruled out for offside.

The strike means that Smith Rowe now has three goals for Fulham this season since leaving Arsenal and that will, naturally, catch the attention of some members of the Gunners' fanbase.

Arsenal have struggled in front of goal over recent games, failing to score in either of their previous two matches against Inter Milan and Newcastle. Smith Rowe's form is likely to lead to questions on whether or not the Gunners have the option of bringing the playmaker back to the Emirates Stadium in the form of a buy-back clause.

However, football.london understands that no buy-back clause was included in the deal which saw Smith Rowe move to west London with Fulham earlier this summer. However, Arsenal did include a 10 per cent sell-on clause in the agreement, which could see the Gunners generate some extra revenue in the months - or years - ahead.

Should Arsenal decide they want to sign Smith Rowe back in the future, it will be up to Fulham to set the asking price. However, if the 25-year-old goes on to enjoy a successful career elsewhere with another club and leave Craven Cottage then it would, at the very least, see the Gunners receive extra funds that could go towards future transfer targets.