The father of Gabriel Martinelli has claimed that the Arsenal attacker isn’t happy with his lack of football, adding that he has ‘proposals from Europe’.
Martinelli was considered one of Europe’s brightest young starlets in football in 2019, with Jurgen Klopp labelling him a ‘talent of the century’.
But Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has only used him sparingly during his two-year reign as Gunners boss.
This season, the 20-year-old has managed only 159 minutes of Premier League football under Arteta, who started him only seven times in the same competition last term.
Regular football is key for his ongoing development but it doesn’t look like he’s coming on a lot under the Spaniard.
And Martinelli’s father, Joao, has told Yahoo Sport that his son is growing frustrated and that some clubs in Europe have asked about signing him.
He said: “Since he came back from an injury, he’s been playing a lot less than he’d have liked. There have even been some proposals from Europe, but Arsenal have already warned that they’ll not release him.”
Warning
Arteta should consider this to be a major warning.
Martinelli, who earns £90,000 per week at the Emirates, is still young enough that he can fulfill his potential elsewhere.
And that’s exactly what he’s going to do unless the Spanish manager begins playing him a little more regularly.
It would be a massive shame if Arsenal wind up losing a talent like this over something like game time and the onus is on Arteta to make things right.
Signed for £6 million, this was an absolute bargain by Edu in North London and it’ll be tragic if things don’t work out.
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