At this point, it’s quite funny to remember a time when there was a lot of talk about Mikel Arteta not liking Gabriel Martinelli.
That was the only possible explanation for his absence from the team. This despite the coach making it very clear that he thought there was a player of great potential there, but that he needed some time.
January 2021: “I expect great things from Gabi.”
March 2021: “He is really disappointed that he is not playing more obviously, and I have spoken to him, but he needs to have a little patience. He has had some minutes, he has had some games too, and it is true that the competition for the first places is very tough. He needs to be patient and he will get his chance.”
April 2021: “We have to have a little patience with him but he has a bright future at the club and he will have all the opportunities he needs to show us how good he is and what a career he can have with us.”
To be fair, much of the clamor for Martinelli came at a time when the other options were far from perfect. We had periods of Aubameyang across the board, we had to put up with Willian for half a season, and Nicolás Pepe was never consistent. So it’s understandable that fans wanted to see more of a player who was so exciting in the first season of him.
However, he had a major knee injury, and it came at a time when he was still developing physically. I think there is something to the suggestion that Arteta was perhaps a bit cautious about preferring youth to experience at times, but with Martinelli it felt more about how ready he was considered for regular first-team action. Comparisons were made to Phil Foden at Man City, a player his fans wanted to see more of, but Pep Guardiola kept the dust dry.
It’s interesting, because in both cases you could easily say that both managers were pretty well justified in how they took their time with two extremely talented players. Foden is breaking it this season after a very good campaign last time, and Martinelli has potentially become our best player so far this season. I don’t say that lightly either. We’ve seen some excellent individual form this season, and Gabriel Jesus has probably added more to our game overall, but in terms of a player who steps up and adds a consistent end product, the young Brazilian is the best for me.
Speaking last week, Martinelli talked about how much he had learned tactically lately and how his game had developed because of it. A measure of patience brings some reward.
In the season preview, I wrote this about him:
I’m happy to see him wreak havoc on the left flank, but we need more end product. He’s electric, exciting, more than capable of roasting opponents with a straight run from him, but there were games last season where he did the hard work and then messed up his lines. He is still young and these things take his time, but he will know better than anyone that it is time to take off.
We are in orbit. Only Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Magalhaes have played more minutes this season and in some ways that is due to necessity as we don’t have the depth we need for the full Europa League rotation. Martinelli has started every Premier League game so far, and while part of that could be down to Emile Smith Rowe being injured, his performances have been so good it would have cost him to lose his place. .
Doing what he did against Liverpool on Sunday showed how far he has come. Arsenal fans need no more evidence that we have a great player on our hands, but sometimes there’s a performance that heralds someone on the big stage, and it felt that way on Sunday. Regardless of Liverpool’s recent turmoil, he gave Trent a steamy moment, and Joe Gomez didn’t fare much better. A goal, an assist and a relentless push that caused them problems and ended in a penalty. You can’t ask for much more from someone who turned 21 just a few months ago.
His future is a topic of conversation, but he signed a long-term contract in 2020. However, 2020 Martinelli was a player with potential; 2022 Martinelli is the real deal now and, as such, he deserves new terms to ensure his salary is commensurate with his contribution to the team. He says:
“Of course I want to stay. We are talking. Let’s see what will happen. But I want to stay, of course.”
It sounds like this should be as easy a deal to make as it sounds. A player who wants to stay, whose value to the team is growing all the time and who deserves better treatment. There is always negotiation, but the underlying circumstances mean that this should not be particularly difficult.
Patience as a virtue is something that makes sense when you say it, but it’s not always that easy to live it. However, in this case, we’re seeing the benefits of ensuring a player is introduced without putting too much of a burden on them. When the opportunity hit hard after Aubameyang’s departure, Martinelli feels, from an internal perspective, as the biggest beneficiary. And the exciting thing is that there is still much more to come.
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Let’s leave it there for this morning. If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, the Arsecast Extra is below, discussing and enjoying the win over Liverpool, and much more. Listen happy.
