Arsenal have now accepted that they might end up selling their ‘special’ player next summer

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal are no longer opposed to parting ways with one of Mikel Arteta’s regular starters.

Though the Gunners set out to improve on their record of selling players in the summer, it was never thought that a key player would be considered for sale.

That is what appeared to be the case, though, shortly after the transfer window closed, it was revealed that Arsenal had entertained interest in Gabriel Martinelli early in the summer. 

Signed for just £6m in 2019, Arsenal will have few complaints about the decision to sign the winger from Brazilian club Ituano. 

That being said, there is some concern around Martinelli’s future, as the forward hasn’t shown any sign of progression since his tremendous 2022/23 campaign. 

• READ MORE: Arsenal duo made history over the September international break for all the wrong reasons

Arsenal have accepted that they could sell Gabriel Martinelli soon

Outsiders are noticing Martinelli’s decline, which hasn’t only exposed a weak spot on Arsenal’s left side of attack but has also damaged the 24-year-old’s market value. 

It makes the Gunners’ openness to part ways with the Brazilian in the summer understandable, but Andrea Berta wanted a worthy price for the 2019 signing. 

Bayern Munich wanted to pay a low fee for Martinelli, a prospect that Arsenal shot down, but it appears that the stance at the Emirates has changed again. 

According to the BBC, Arsenal have accepted that the left-winger is ‘one of a few players’ in Arteta’s squad who could be sold after the work that was done in the summer. 

Arsenal welcomed three new attackers in the summer transfer window, two of whom can play on the left side, pushing Martinelli down the pecking order. 

There’s a problem in that interest in the Brazil international could dip alongside his market value, as future game time is set to decrease due to his poor form over the previous three seasons.

Martinelli was once regarded as the Premier League’s best in his position

The situation is a really horrible one for the player and fans, who wanted things to turn out so differently from what they are.

Up until the 2022/23 campaign, Martinelli was evolving year upon year, hitting a real high during that season as he netted 15 Premier League goals. 

Very few would’ve anticipated that the 2022/23 season could represent Martinelli’s peak, going from a player who was once one of the best to one who is third or fourth in Arsenal’s pecking order.

In 2022, scout Antonio Mango described Martinelli as the ‘best’ left winger in the Premier League, dubbing the Brazilian a ‘special talent’.

Fast forward to now, and Arsenal are already imagining life without him, with his possible successors brought in during the summer.

All eyes will be on what the forward can produce this season, in what is a particularly pivotal time with the 2026 World Cup approaching.