Gary Neville says one Arsenal player has actually got worse recently, he has ‘dipped’

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Plenty of Arsenal’s squad has come into question over the past 12 months after failing to win the Premier League for a third consecutive attempt.

The Gunners have shown they are capable of winning the biggest of prizes, but haven’t quite managed to get themselves over the line.

Mikel Arteta has come close, finishing as runners-up over the past few seasons, knowing they need to step up and find that extra gear to win it all.

If Arsenal are to do that, they need a mixture of luck and ruthlessness in both boxes that their rivals have often had over them.

That involves some players who have had impressive spells in their careers, bringing it all together to have a consistent run.

For Gary Neville, a few stars are up for questioning as they must recapture their best form.

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Gabriel Martinelli’s form questioned by Gary Neville among other Arsenal forward players

While Arsenal finished second again in the Premier League last season, it wasn’t nearly close enough for what could be considered a true title challenge.

Injuries hampered Arteta and his team for most of the season, but so too did the form of his misfiring forwards.

One of whom was Gabriel Martinelli, who was far from his sparkling best when he was fit and available for the side.

Gary Neville critiqued the star, along with his fellow forwards, as he said on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast: “There’s part of me looks at them and thinks, Martinelli looks like he’s dipped a little bit. Odegaard, he’s a good player, but is he going to score the goals that they need?

“Gyokeres, actually, I think he’ll do okay, but is he going to score 20 goals? Saka has obviously got to stay fit. So there are question marks up front, up top about them, and that’s the big question.”

The question marks around the frontline aren’t new, but the future of Martinelli has certainly been in the spotlight.

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Gabriel Martinelli’s Arsenal career in numbers

Martinelli has been linked with a transfer exit this summer, and while that looks unlikely, it does show there are some doubts over his future.

Mix that in with the links to a left-sided forward, the likes of Eberechi Eze and Rodrygo, and it shows just how big this season will be for the Brazilian.

Since the 2022/23 season, when he scored 15 goals in the Premier League, Martinelli hasn’t managed to break double-figures.

It’s clear that the decline is there to some degree, but perhaps it isn’t just the past season that has brought that about.

Add in the arrival of Champions League football over the past two seasons, increasing his workload, and it shows just how tough it can be.

There is some hope that Martinelli can rediscover the form of a few years ago, but it will have to happen quickly.