Ray Parlour and Mikel Arteta (Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah, Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Former Arsenal star Ray Parlour has inadvertently made a slightly disrespectful comment about Fulham after Emile Smith Rowe’s move to Craven Cottage in the summer transfer window.
Smith Rowe has shone since signing for Fulham, having previously fallen out of favour in the Arsenal first-team due to there being so much competition for places at the Emirates Stadium.
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It couldn’t have been easy for Smith Rowe to leave the club he grew up at, while Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta may also have been keen to keep the 24-year-old around as a squad player.
Parlour, however, has made it clear he thinks this move was the right one for all parties involved in the end, though he suggested Smith Rowe is relishing now being the bigger fish in a smaller pond.
Speaking on Hayters TV, Parlour described Fulham as a “great little club”, which we imagine won’t go down too well with Fulham supporters!
Parlour clearly didn’t mean to be disrespectful, but it perhaps provides some insight into how former players who represented the top teams think about those lower down in the division.
Fulham may not be in the same category as a global giant like Arsenal, but their fans will still surely be proud of their history and not take too kindly to being patronised in this way.
Emile Smith Rowe transfer decision backed by Ray Parlour
“I’m really pleased for Smith Rowe because he needed that opportunity to go away. He wasn’t going to play on a regular basis,” Parlour said.
“You’ve got to think about what’s best for yourself and I think it was the right time for him to move away.
“Fulham’s a great little club, he’s the main man there in that midfield, a lot of things go through him now and he was probably going to sit on the bench for half a season at Arsenal.
“I think it was the right decision for both parties. You don’t like to see a player who came through the ranks… he’s a good lad and a good player… it was a good time for him to go because he needs to go and prove himself.
“He’s 24 years old now and he needs to go out and play football on a regular basis and he’s certainly doing…
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