Despite his recent lack of game time, Gabriel Martinelli is a valued member of Mikel Arteta’s side and will stay at the club next season, according to Arsenal Central.
Arsenal’s season was transformed by Mikel Arteta’s increased inclusion of the club’s most exciting youth stars in Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe.
The trio helped the Gunners get back to winning ways but Martinelli hasn’t played nearly as much as Saka and Smith Rowe recently but, as we’re reliably informed, there aren’t any nefarious reasons for his recent lack of game time.
Saka has played 2,001 minutes for Arsenal this season and Smith Rowe will soon hit the 1,000 minute mark for the first time in his fledgeling career. Meanwhile, Martinelli has barely broken the 200-minute barrier for the Gunners this term.
From the outside, this is confusing for Arsenal supporters as, by all metrics, he has been fantastic when he’s featured while the likes of Willian have looked very poor.
Our source reports that the Brazilian is fully fit despite some of the conspiracy theories that can be found on Twitter and Reddit, he’s training as well as you’d imagine and there is no plan for him to be sent out on loan.
At this stage, it’s simply a selection choice on Arteta’s part and supporters will simply need to hope the Spanish manager picks him to start or hands him a chance from the bench.
We can report that there is a desire to be cautious with Martinelli after the knee injury he suffered that saw him miss 169 days. At such a young age (19) where his development is still well underway, another serious injury could have serious implications on his career.
Furthermore, Martin Ødegaard’s loan move to the Emirates Stadium has also increased the options available to Arteta.
