Mikel Arteta should stop being stubborn and change one Arsenal player’s position, it’s now or never

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Mikel Arteta has made several brave decisions at Arsenal over the years.

The Spaniard is the biggest reason why the Gunners are challenging for the Premier League and Champions League titles. He has completely transformed the club, and we are convinced that the big trophies will come very soon.

Arteta has made a few difficult calls at Arsenal this season. Playing Mikel Merino, who is naturally a midfielder, as a striker was not on anybody’s bingo card, but that proved to be a success.

However, with the Spaniard suspended now, we really hope Arteta will make a U-turn on his previous stance on one Arsenal player and change his position.

What Mikel Arteta said about Gabriel Martinelli playing as a striker at Arsenal

Gabriel Martinelli joined Arsenal as a striker back in 2019.

The Brazilian is very versatile and can play across the frontline, but when he first moved to the Emirates, he was deployed up top by Unai Emery.

Martinelli was fantastic as a striker in his debut season. He played nine games as a striker, five of those came from the start, and scored seven goals, which is a stunning return.

The attacker was only a teenager at the time and was in his first-ever season outside Brazil. Yet, he performed brilliantly and became a fan favourite.

However, since Mikel Arteta’s arrival, Martinelli has mostly played out wide, and although he has done well there, his progression as a striker has been stunted.

Arteta was quizzed about Martinelli playing as a centre-forward back in December, but the Arsenal manager ruled it out. He claimed that he wasn’t even thinking about that possibility.

He said: “He has played (as a striker) a few times. I think Gabi is so good when he’s got the line on his back, and he’s facing forward, and he has got the goal in the diagonal.

“I haven’t thought too much about that (playing him as a striker). He’s so comfortable on the left side. I think I see other evolutions more than this one.”

Mikel Arteta should change his mind about Gabriel Martinelli – it’s now or never

In the second half of the game against Liverpool, Martinelli played as a striker and was brilliant.

The Brazilian’s movement really troubled the Reds’ backline, and he almost got in behind on a couple of occasions as well.

Martinelli playing up top made Martin Odegaard look so much better too, and that was refreshing to see after the Norwegian’s struggles this season.

Arsenal will be without Merino against Newcastle United, while Leandro Trossard is also an injury doubt after he hobbled off the pitch at Anfield.

We think this is the perfect time for Arteta to use Martinelli as a number nine – if he doesn’t try it now, we can’t see it happening again because Arsenal are guaranteed to sign a new striker this summer.