Arteta told one Arsenal star will soon be ‘fed up’ as he’s using him totally wrong

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Both Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka’s form at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta this season has often been spoken about by fans and pundits.

Many believe that the duo are playing below-par, despite Saka in particular having some brilliant games.

And after a frustrating defeat against Aston Villa, many have once again started to question the levels of the duo.

None are doubting their quality, yet pundits and fans seem to think there’s a drop off from last season.

And one journalist does now have a theory regarding Martinelli’s struggle for form under Arteta at Arsenal.

Aaron Catterson-Reid, who often covers Arsenal’s games, now thinks Martinelli must be ‘fed up’ with playing out of position.

Sharing his thoughts on X, he said: “If I’m Gabriel Martinelli I would be getting pretty fed up.

“He is statistically (and by the eye) Arsenal’s best finisher yet he’s being utilised as a wide midfielder averaging less shots per 90 than Casemiro, Dwight McNeil and Alex Iwobi.

“He is a forward. Get him closer to goal. If he was playing at Klopp’s Liverpool he would be averaging 4 shots per game.

“Nunez is currently averaging 4.64 per 90.Martinelli with 2.05 (the 58th most in the league).”

Journalist thinks Mikel Arteta is playing Gabriel Martinelli out of position at Arsenal

It’s certainly an interesting argument.

Martinelli has looked world-class at times this season, those performances usually coming on Champions League nights. 

And there’s definitely something being lost in his performances, perhaps his position is being too heavily dictated by Oleksandr Zinchenko’s licence to invert. 

Martinelli’s starting position often looks deeper than Saka’s, who has Ben White or Takehiro Tomiyasu backing him up.

Moreover, with a lot of change in the number eight role on the left, Martinelli is adapting to a lot of new situations.

It’s a difficult one, but Arsenal fans will trust Arteta’s plan with Martinelli – it’s bought the team this far.

Moreover, the Brazilian is unlikely to make a fuss either, someone who has proved to be a complete professional.

There will be a lot of interesting intricacies as Arsenal evolve, and there’s bound to still be a lot of change on the left.