Eberechi Eze was impressive on his home debut for Arsenal against Nottingham Forest, although Mikel Arteta may come away concerned with something relating to the new signing.
Named in the starting line-up for the first time since arriving from Crystal Palace, Eze delivered an encouraging display in his first Emirates appearance in red and white.
The England international delivered an outstanding assist for Viktor Gyokeres early in the second half, perfectly playing the ball across the box to the Swede for a tap-in.
Showing his quality with some outstanding dribbles and flashy touches, Eze will hope to build on this showing when he makes his Champions League debut on Tuesday night in Bilbao.
Eberechi Eze completed more dribbles vs Nottingham Forest than Gabriel Martinelli has all season
Arsenal spent £67.5 million on Eze to fill the role on the left wing.
The likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard underwhelmed last season, and the Gunners needed to upgrade in this position to make strides forward this term.
The 27-year-old already demonstrated exactly what he can do that Martinelli can’t on Saturday against Forest.
Deployed in the Brazilian’s position, Eze completed three take-ons, entirely eliminating an opposition player with a body feint on a few occasions.
In his 141 minutes on the pitch thus far this season for Arsenal, Martinelli hasn’t completed a single dribble.
This immediately showcases what Eze will bring to the Gunners; he’s someone who can reliably beat his man and create separation to then create a chance or take a shot.
Mikel Arteta will be concerned about Gabriel Martinelli after Eberechi Eze’s showing
This glaring statistic lays bare Martinelli’s issues.
It’s not a good indictment of the 24-year-old’s invention when he has the ball at his feet, and Arteta will be concerned about the stark contrast in dribbling ability between his two left-wingers.
While Martinelli is likely to be relegated to more of a squad role for the rest of this season, he’ll still be needed throughout the campaign.
Arsenal have bulked up their squad for a reason – they want more options all over the pitch so that they can rotate and keep players fresh.
This means that there are still plenty of minutes on the table for Martinelli, although Arteta may be sceptical about whether he can trust the wide man to deliver in high-pressure moments, one-on-one with defenders.
While Arteta will be delighted with Eze’s performance against Forest, it will have served as a worrying reminder of Martinelli’s deficiencies.
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