Martin Keown has claimed that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta simply ‘doesn’t like’ Gabriel Martinelli after last night’s snub in the Europa League.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette both unfit to start Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat away to Villarreal in the Europa League last night, Arteta still did not choose Martinelli to lead the line.
Instead, Nicolas Pepe and Martin Odegaard seemed to alternate between a false nine role for the Gunners which showed little sign of promise.
Bukayo Saka is seen as Arsenal’s most exciting teenager.
But it’s worth remembering that Martinelli – a £6 million signing in 2019 – held that title before Saka’s emergence as a huge player for the Emirates Stadium club.
And yet Arteta doesn’t appear to rate the 19-year-old all that highly, having started him in only five games so far this season.
Martinelli didn’t get on the pitch until the 63rd minute last night and asked on BT Sport why Arteta seemed to snub him once again, Keown said: “Well I’m concerned as to why this player is not playing. The manager doesn’t like him. It’s as simple as that. I don’t know [why Arteta doesn’t fancy him]. I’m not there everyday, I’m not on the training ground.”
It’s also possible that Arteta has something of a masterplan regarding Martinelli that he isn’t ready to unveil to the world just yet.
Remember, the former Arsenal midfield spent four years playing under Arsene Wenger in North London and foresight was one of the legendary French manager’s strengths.
It is possible that Arteta just doesn’t fancy Martinelli, as Keown said, but it’s also possible that he’s playing the long game with him and trying to perhaps get him ready for the rigours of playing up front for a club like the Gunners, having spent most of his burgeoning career out wide so far.
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