Gabriel Martinelli up for new Arsenal fight as Mikel Arteta transfer decision is vindicated

Brazilian has responded to the threat of competition on the left flank and returned to form this season

When he goes away with Brazil , the 24-year-old battles with the likes of Raphinha and Vinicius Junior for minutes.

So perhaps that is why Martinelli has so emphatically responded to the newfound competition in the Arsenal squad this season.

No place in Mikel Arteta ’s team is more competitive than the left flank, where Eberechi Eze, Leandro Trossard , Noni Madueke and Martinelli are all options.

But Martinelli has risen to the challenge, and he is the top-performing Arsenal player this season when it comes to goals and assists per 90 minutes.

Martinelli has scored four goals this season

REUTERS

His four goals and solitary assist have come in just 457 minutes of action - a faster rate than anyone else in the Gunners’ squad.

“We play for Arsenal , we like to play alongside the good players and we are happy,” said Martinelli.

“It’s like the international team for me because we have Vini, Rodrygo and Raphinha , so many good players and I can’t complain.

“I just want to play, have the freedom to play, and show my talent. I need to be thankful for having those players alongside me.”

Martinelli is delighted by his fast start to this season after enduring a difficult campaign last year.

The winger scored 10 goals and provided five assists then. October isn’t even over yet, but he is already a third of the way to that tally.

For Arteta, it is a vindication of his belief that adding more depth to the squad would bring the best out of players and end their wait for major silverware.

“We really believe that we are going to achieve big things this season,” said Martinelli. “We have an amazing group with really good players so we trust in ourselves.

“We play for Arsenal . We want to win titles - the Premier League , the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Champions League .

“The World Cup is coming up as well so everyone wants to play and give your best. I’ve been trying to give my best on and off the pitch. It’s a big season for us.”

Mikel Arteta has described Martinelli as a ‘super important player’ for Arsenal

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It certainly feels like an especially big season for Martinelli, who has come in for criticism from supporters over the past two years.

The Brazilian was electric during the 2022-23 season, when Arsenal first fought for the title under Arteta.

Martinelli was Arsenal’s top scorer in the Premier League that year, finding the net 15 times in 36 appearances.

Across the past two seasons, though, the winger managed just 14 goals in 68 league games. That dip led to suggestions Martinelli could leave in the summer, with Saudi Arabian clubs reportedly interested.

Arteta quashed that talk, however, and days before the transfer window shut, stressed why he wanted to keep Martinelli.

“I think Gabi has been a super important player for us and he’s going to remain very, very, very important,” Arteta said.

“The fact that we have options with different qualities, that’s going to fulfil what we want, because every opponent is going to require different things.

“We have him in many other areas on the pitch and he’s needed, especially in the front line, to start the game and to finish the game.”

Martinelli has since shown exactly why Arsenal were right to keep him, and he is starting to rediscover his best form.

His goal in the victory over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday - a curling finish into the bottom corner after being picked out by Myles Lewis-Skelly - was the strike of a player full of confidence.

Arteta will be tempted to keep Martinelli in the team for today’s clash with Crystal Palace.

The Brazilian has shared minutes with Trossard - who has also been directly involved in five goals this season - and Tuesday marked his first start for Arsenal since October 1.

Martinelli has always had to fight his corner, and this season, he is doing it better than ever.