Aston Villa journalist Luke Hatfield insists that there is no shame in the club missing out on the signing of Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal as they continue their aggressive recruitment this summer.

The Gunners rejected a £30m bid for Smith Rowe from Villa, having previously seen a £25m offer knocked back.

He has subsequently signed a new contract at the Emirates, penning a long-term deal that will tie him to his boyhood club for the foreseeable future.

Smith Rowe can play in a variety of positions and has been deployed as an attacking midfield, on both wings, or in central midfield.

The 21-year-old has made a total of 45 appearances for Mikel Arteta’s side, scoring seven goals and registering seven assists.

He is also a former England U21 international, winning two caps for his country, and Hatfield insists that Villa should feel no shame in failing to extricate him from north London.

They have already signed Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City this summer and are on the verge of completing a deal for Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen too, per reports.

He said: “For now, I think it’s one where they’ve kind of admitted defeat there. There’s no shame in that, Smith Rowe is an Arsenal boy, it’s been his boyhood club, so there’s no shame in missing out on that one but for them, it’s just now focusing on other targets.”