Gabby Agbonlahor says player Arsenal had on trial is now way better than Gabriel Martinelli

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Gabby Agbonlahor believes a winger Arsenal let slip through their grasp is now a better player than Gabriel Martinelli.

The Gunners have assembled an outstanding squad in recent years, bolstered significantly by their spending spree over the summer.

Andrea Berta invested £250 million in eight new players, providing Mikel Arteta with the tools to compete on multiple fronts this season.

Despite this substantial outlay, the left forward position in the Spaniard’s team arguably remains an area of weakness, or at the very least, uncertainty.

• READ MORE: Confirmed Arsenal summer 2025 transfer ins and outs, signings and done deals

Gabby Agbonlahor says Antoine Semenyo is better than Gabriel Martinelli

Martinelli enjoyed an outstanding 2022/23 season, scoring 15 Premier League goals.

However, the Brazilian’s development has stalled in recent seasons, and the Gunners have subsequently made moves to reduce their reliance on him, signing Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke over the summer.

That said, neither Eze nor Madueke have typically performed at their best on the left-wing, and the North London club arguably should’ve targeted a more natural fit for this role.

Antoine Semenyo was a target for Arsenal, but the Ghanaian ultimately opted to sign a new contract with Bournemouth back in July. The wide man spent time on trial in the North London club’s academy as a youngster.

Speaking on talkSPORT, former Aston Villa striker Agbonlahor revealed his belief that Semenyo is a better player than Martinelli, and that the 25-year-old would start for the Gunners off the left.

“I look at the league table, look at all the teams and name me a team he [Semenyo] doesn’t start for on that left-hand side?” Agbonlahor posed.

“Name one. He’s better than [Jeremy] Doku. He starts for Arsenal if Eze plays in that number 10 position. He’s better than Martinelli and [Leandro] Trossard. Better than [Cody] Gakpo, he starts for Spurs.”

Antoine Semenyo and Gabriel Martinelli’s statistics compared

Semenyo has started the new campaign in blistering form, netting six goals and providing three assists in seven matches.

However, this remains a small sample size, and thus, comparing his and Martinelli’s numbers from last season makes more sense.

On the surface level, Semenyo provides greater value in the final third. Below the surface, he’s also clearly better than his Brazilian counterpart in certain areas.

Semenyo is a much more efficient and high-volume dribbler than Martinelli, who struggles to beat his man when isolated on the touchline. The former Bristol City man is also exceptional in the air, which would certainly be a useful attribute for the Gunners.

However, the Arsenal star is better at laying on chances for his teammates, and also takes fewer shots than Semenyo from poor locations.

It’s certainly closer than Agbonlahor suggests, although the Gunners would probably be upgrading by signing the Bournemouth man.