Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli 'at threat' from axe by Mikel Arteta: report

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Arsenal thought that Gabriel Martinelli had helped win them the game against Fulham at the weekend, only for the Brazilian to be flagged offside

Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal acknowledges the fans during the warm up prior to the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Arsenal FC at Villa Park on August 24, 2024 in Birmingham, England.
Martinelli's days might be numbered at Arsenal (Image credit: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli is at “threat” from manager Mikel Arteta upgrading on him, as the Gunners' revolution leaves fan favourites behind.

The north Londoners travelled west for a 1-1 draw against Fulham at the weekend, in which the team's issues against mid-blocks persisted. Martinelli was brought off the bench in the second half, however, provided a spark for Arsenal.

The Brazilian even set up what the visitors believed to be a winning goal, before VAR revealed Martinelli to have strayed offside in the build-up before whipping the ball into Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal have looked to upgrade on Martinelli

Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, shows dejection after the Premier League match between Fulham FC and Arsenal FC at Craven Cottage on December 08, 2024 in London, England.

Mikel Arteta after the draw against Fulham (Image credit: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Martinelli – ranked at no.8 in FourFourTwo's list of the best left-wingers in the world right now – currently job-shares the role with Leandro Trossard.

The pair have consistently rotated this season but with Trossard rumoured to be rewarded with a new contract in the coming weeks, it looks as if Martinelli's days could be numbered at Arsenal.

Leandro Trossard of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City FC at Emirates Stadium on September 28, 2024 in London, England.

Leandro Trossard is competing with Martinelli for the left-wing berth (Image credit: Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)

According to Arsenal journalist Charles Watts, Arsenal have looked at potential players to replace the 23-year-old.

Writing for CaughtOffside, Watts confirmed that the Gunners have actively chased upgrades on Martinelli while admitting that, “he’s not the biggest problem at Arsenal right now”.

Martinelli has scored 35 times in 141 appearances since moving to English football, with most of those performances coming on the left wing. He has just three goals this term – and FourFourTwo agrees with Watts' assessment that the star isn't the biggest problem facing Arteta.

Arsenal's entire lefthand side leaves Martinelli isolated at the best of times, with Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori brought in to address the problem.

Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United FC at Emirates Stadium on December 3, 2024 in London, England.

Gabriel Martinelli in action against Manchester United (Image credit: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

The best thing for Arsenal would not be for Martinelli to be replaced but for a different kind of forward to be introduced. Despite their riches in attack, the Gunners lack a transitional threat – and will likely look to add one in the summer.

Martinelli is valued at €60 million by Transfermarkt. Arsenal take on Monaco this week when Champions League action returns.

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.