Arsenal have announced that they will be wearing black armbands for their Premier League clash against Chelsea tonight.
The Gunners are in desperate need of a win after losing three league matches on the bounce, falling to Crystal Palace, Brighton and most recently Southampton. Now, the north London outfit have decided to don black armbands at Stamford Bridge in a tribute to their former chief scout Steve Rowley, who tragically passed away last week aged just 63.
A statement on the club's official Twitter account read: "Tonight the team will wear black armbands. In memory of Steve Rowley."
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The north Londoners announced that he had suffered a short illness before paying tribute to the work he had done for the club. “Everyone at the club is deeply saddened to announce the passing of our former chief scout Steve Rowley after a short illness," the club announced on Sunday.
“Steve, 63, had been associated with the Club since January 1980, when he began a part-time role in our youth scouting operations in Essex. Notable early successes in the identification of talent - including Tony Adams and Ray Parlour - led to a full-time position during George Graham's time as manager.
“Upon his arrival in 1996, Arsene Wenger appointed Steve as our Chief Scout, a position he held until 2017.” Former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas also paid tribute to Rowley, tweeting: "What a sad day it is. A great man has left us, a true Arsenal legend.
"I don’t know where I would be today if you didn’t manage to convince Arsene to sign me as a 16-year-old. I will never forget your advices and the confidence you gave me everyday. You will be greatly missed."
