Troy Deeney says Arsenal have another player who’s just as inconsistent as Gabriel Martinelli

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Gabriel Martinelli has faced the brunt of criticism towards Arsenal for his performances in recent weeks.

The Brazilian started both away at Manchester United and away at Liverpool, largely for the defensive output he offers, but he struggled to provide anything of value from an offensive standpoint in both games.

Taking no shots and creating no chances in the two matches in the north-west, it has been a poor start to the season for the winger.

Brazilian media weren’t overly complimentary of Martinelli’s display against Chile on Thursday, compounding what has been a tough few weeks for the out-of-sorts forward.

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Troy Deeney says Noni Madueke is as ‘inconsistent’ as Gabriel Martinelli

Martinelli hasn’t been at his best since the 2022/23 season.

The electric winger scored 15 goals in the Premier League that campaign, and has since struggled to replicate this form.

Arsenal bought Noni Madueke for £52 million from Chelsea this summer to try to rectify this issue on the left-hand side of their attack.

Madueke impressed away at Liverpool, but this showing hasn’t convinced everyone that he is the right man to deputise Bukayo Saka and potentially succeed Martinelli.

Speaking on the Football Exchange YouTube channel, former Watford striker Troy Deeney said the new Gunners signing is ‘the same’ as his Brazilian counterpart.

“Madueke is the same as Martinelli in my opinion, like very inconsistent,” he said.

“Both on their day can be unplayable, but very inconsistent.”

Madueke will likely get another opportunity to showcase his qualities on the right wing immediately after the international break against Nottingham Forest, with Saka likely to be absent as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Noni Madueke will prove to be much better than Gabriel Martinelli

While he needs some refining, Madueke is a very talented footballer who will prove to be successful at Arsenal.

The England international is an excellent ball carrier who is capable of finding himself in dangerous positions to shoot inside the box on a consistent basis.

He needs to become more effective at making the most of the positions he gets into, whether with better quality shots or final passes, but this should come as he matures.

Meanwhile, Martinelli has lost the ability to impact the game in any real way, struggling to create shots for his teammates or get shots himself in the way that he used to.

This is reflected in the data above, which clearly demonstrates how Madueke is a much bigger threat than Martinelli.

Arsenal could have an excellent asset on their hands who has the potential to explode under Mikel Arteta in Madueke.