Mikel Arteta faces tough summer transfer dilemma as Gabriel Martinelli's Arsenal form explained
It's late on between Arsenal and Bournemouth. Martin Odegaard has just slipped Gabriel Martinelli in behind and the Brazilian is baring down on goal. With deadlines fast approaching journalists need barely look up from their laptops. The outcome is surely inevitable.
Something unexpected happens though. Instead of finishing with ease, Martinelli takes one touch, and then another, and then another, failing to ever really get the ball under his spell. The Bournemouth defenders usher him away from goal and, sensing the moment is lost, Martinelli throws himself to the floor in the vein hope of getting a penalty which is never going to be given.
Were this a one off incident, perhaps it could be ignored. But in consecutive games against Wolves, Chelsea, Tottenham and now Bournemouth, Martinelli has passed up similar opportunities. The Brazilian was Arsenal's top scorer last season, but this time he has just eight goals in 42 appearances and his last Premier League start came in early March.
Of course injuries are a factor in that, but something else seems to be up with Martinelli.
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One of the biggest factors that Martinelli has had to deal with this season is the way Arsenal have evolved as a team.
Last season the Gunners' left hand side was pretty fixed. Oleksandr Zinchenko was the left back. No player who started over 10 games played more progressive passes than the Ukrainian (9.66 per 90 as per fbref), and being on the left hand side of the pitch, Martinelli was the natural beneficiary. Contrastingly, Jakub Kiwior is down in 12th
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