Arsenal are in a pretty healthy position heading into the final half of the Premier League season as they remain five points clear of defending champions Manchester City, with a game in hand too.

If Mikel Arteta leads his side to what would’ve been unthinkable during the summer, then he’ll have ended a near decade-long wait for the league title at the Emirates Stadium.

There are sure to be plenty of twists and turns until May, though. As we saw at the weekend, Everton’s new era under Sean Dyche got off to the perfect start by handing the Gunners their second league defeat of the season – just a few days after they crashed out of the FA Cup.

Arsene Wenger’s invincibles bailed out of all cup and European competitions early, so it’s nothing to fear just yet but it would help if Arteta had an ace up his sleeve and perhaps he does.

The addition of Leandro Trossard from Brighton and Hove Albion certainly gives him a new threat in the attack but you cannot forget about the versatile and exciting attributes of Emile Smith Rowe.

The ‘Croydon De Bruyne’ as he’s affectionately known has been absent for much of the season through injury, having returned with cameos against Oxford United and more recently, against Tottenham Hotspur.

Those were his first competitive appearances since early September, so he’s clearly on his way back from his issues.

Still only 22, the £23.5m-rated dynamo was one of Arteta’s most influential players as only Bukayo Saka (11) scored more goals (ten). His returns were more than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette combined (eight) and double the number of Gabriel Jesus this campaign (five).

It’s perhaps why former Gunners star Mesut Ozil dubbed him a “difference-maker” and that sort of talent is going to be needed when things aren’t going Arsenal’s way in the back end of the season.

Also capable of finding “space in a telephone box” – as once explained by his former Huddersfield Town boss Danny Cowley – Smith Rowe could prove to be Arteta’s secret weapon over the coming months – if not weeks.

It’s been a while since other teams have seen what the £40k-per-week Englishman is capable of, so he may well be an unpredictable threat once he’s fully fit and available.

AND in other news, Reyes 2.0: Edu could have unearthed Arsenal’s next unsung hero in £27m “game-changer”…