Arsenal must finally ditch Arsenal man who's the "talent of the century"
After three years of second-place finishes in the Premier League, there’s a real sense of optimism that this year could finally be the one Arsenal end their title drought.
The Gunners have now gone a remarkable two decades without a top-flight triumph, with Mikel Arteta the closest manager post Arsène Wenger to ending such a drought.
However, they have often fallen at the final hurdle, on two occasions to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, whilst doing so to Liverpool in the 2024/25 campaign.
At present, Arteta’s men currently sit two points clear of the former as the season approaches the midway point, with their destiny certainly in their own hands.
The Spaniard would certainly write himself in the club’s history should he achieve such a feat, but he certainly has many people to thank for the recent revival in North London.
How Arsenal have become title favourites in 2025/26
The two previous Premier League seasons have presented glaring areas of improvement for Arsenal – squad depth in various areas and a focal point to lead the frontline.
During the summer window, Sporting Director Andrea Berta worked tirelessly to try and solve both issues, seemingly doing so to great effect at present.
The hierarchy landed the defensive additions of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie, subsequently offering needed centre-back cover for William Saliba and Gabriel.
Arteta’s midfield department also received hefty back, as seen with the arrivals of Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze and Christian Norgaard – subsequently allowing Mikel Merino to operate as a number nine.
The Spaniard has continued his fine goalscoring form into the current season, already scoring five times across all competitions – including two in the Champions League.
However, he’s often acted as a backup to Viktor Gyokeres, with the Swedish international taking the iconic number 14 shirt after his £65m switch from Sporting CP.
Whilst he’s only netted six goals to date, he’s shown glimpses of being the talisman the Gunners have been lacking, as seen with his double against Atletico Madrid.
The Arsenal star who must now be axed by Arteta
Such investment was desperately needed if Arsenal were to mount a serious push for the Premier League title this season, with Arteta being handed all the tools he needs to achieve such success.
The fans now have a squad they can be proud of in their attempts to end such a drought, whilst also having the depth many teams would crave to help them cross the line.
However, the backing from the hierarchy has certainly made competition for places even harder – something which certainly isn’t a bad problem for a manager to have.
In essence, it should hand the players the extra motivation to nail down their places in the starting eleven, which should make the side an even bigger force to be reckoned with.
However, it appears to have had the opposite effect on winger Gabriel Martinelli, with the Brazilian currently enduring a season to forget under Arteta at the Emirates.
He arrived in England as an unknown quantity to many supporters, with the hierarchy forking out a reported £6m for his signature from Brazilian side Ituano.
Despite originally being signed to join the youth team, the attacker fought his way into the manager’s plans, even becoming a first-team regular and scoring ten goals in his debut year.
As a result, former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp even dubbed the attacker as the “talent of the century”, but it’s safe to say he’s failed to hit the heights many expected.
In 2025, he’s now racked up just shy of 250 appearances for the Gunners, scoring on 43 occasions, but he’s often come under fire for his inconsistency in attacking areas.
Arteta has preferred the likes of Leandro Trossard ahead of him in the pecking order this campaign, as seen by the Brazilian’s measly tally of just five league starts.
His underlying stats in the Premier League this season highlight his lack of positive impact, with the manager desperately needing to axe him from his long-term plans.
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The 24-year-old has completed just 72% of the passes he’s attempted, which currently ranks him within the bottom 10% of all other attackers in England’s top-flight.
Gabriel Martinelli – PL stats (2025/26)
Statistics (per 90)
Tally
Games played
12
Games started
5
Goals & assists
1
Pass accuracy
72%
Dribbles completed
33%
Chances created
0.6
Times dispossessed
1.4
Successful crosses
0.4
Stats via FotMob
He’s also completed just 33% of the dribbles he’s attempted, whilst also registering just 0.6 chances created per 90 – further highlighting his lack of creativity in attacking areas.
Martinelli’s struggles are summed up in his tally of times dispossessed by the opposition per 90, currently losing the ball 1.4 times per game, the second highest of any player in the squad.
There’s no doubt the Brazilian is a player who massively relies on confidence to succeed, but unfortunately, his impressive performances are too far and between at the Emirates.
He’s been unable to deliver on a consistent basis over the last couple of months, which no doubt has led to the attacker struggling to nail down a regular starting role.
As a result, Arteta must look to axe the 24-year-old from his first-team plans, with a new left side forward needed to help bolster the club’s title credentials.
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