William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli, and Mikel Merino (Photo by Justin Setterfield, Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
What next for Gabriel Martinelli after Eberechi Eze signing?
There’s obviously been a lot of talk about Gabriel Martinelli of late, given his quiet start to the season and the arrival of Eberechi Eze.
Martinelli has been such a mainstay of Mikel Arteta’s side over the last few years but there is no doubt that his place in the team is as under threat as it’s ever been.
There is serious competition over on the left hand side now and Martinelli’s struggles for consistency over the last couple of seasons has seen a big drop off in terms of his level of contributions.
Goals have dried up and right now he looks like a player who is really lacking belief and confidence, which was very evident with his performance at Liverpool before the international break.
A lot of fans believe an upgrade is needed on the left of the attack and although Eze is a different profile of player to Martinelli, that left sided position certainly looks his best route into the XI.
This is a big season for Martinelli, one that does feel pivotal in terms of where his future might lie.
There was talk about him leaving in the summer, but I don’t think that was ever really going to happen. It would have taken a big offer for Arsenal to consider a sale and one never arrived.
There was some interest from Saudi Arabia, but that’s as far as things went and I don’t believe that was a move that would have interested Martinelli at this point of his career.
I do think Arsenal’s stance over a potential sale could shift next summer, however, especially if Martinelli has another largely frustrating season.
He will have two years left of his deal by that point and with Arsenal needing to make some sales in the near future, the Brazilian could find himself towards the front of that queue.
Arsenal plan to accelerate contract talks with star duo
With the transfer window now closed the priority for Arsenal is to accelerate contract talks with Bukayo Saka and William Saliba.
Andrea Berta has done a good job when it comes to renewals since he arrived as sporting director, with Gabriel Magalhaes,…
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