Arteta must test Martinelli theory before £180m splurge

Reports suggest Arsenal will go after a pair of strikers as part of an £180m transfer spree this summer. Mikel Arteta should really test out his Gabriel Martinelli theory first.

Arsenal achieved one of their two goals in January – they got rid of the deadwood. Six first-team players left the club, to leave Mikel Arteta with a squad some would call streamlined and others would call light. With just 17 games left to play this season, January was a smart time for a trim.

They failed to achieve their second goal. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has gone and no replacement was signed. It’s been billed as the transfer window blunder, the misstep that will cost Arsenal a chance of Champions League qualification. But it’s also a situation that should push Arteta to test his own theory.

Most reports – including some of our own – in the wake of Arsenal’s failure to sign a striker have highlighted the indiscretion by claiming that Arteta now has just two recognised strikers to choose from: Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah, both of whom look set to leave in the summer. It was a fair summation, but Arteta will have considered another member of his squad as an option to lead the line; he’s always believed Gabriel Martinelli would at some point become a central striker.

“[Aubameyang and Martinelli] are centre forwards but with the squad balance that we have at the moment, to play on those positions on the left we don’t have five players,” he has previously explained.

At the start of the season, even the most ardent Martinelli stan would have been hard pushed to claim the Brazilian would end the campaign as the focal point of Arsenal’s attack. Having burst onto the scene two years before, Martinelli’s career – through no particular fault of his own – was idling. But given what we’ve seen of the 20-year-old in the last two months, Martinelli should not be considered a back-up to the two more experienced options in that No.9 position, but someone who deserves first dibs.

“[Martinelli’s] overall understanding of the game is getting much better,” Arteta said last month. “He’s able to put some gears into his play.”

Arteta was right to curb the Martinelli mania. Like a young puppy entering a room of new smells, Martinelli would tear around the pitch, dashing, tongue lolling, from one bit of excitement to the next with no clear purpose. He’s matured significantly.

But Arteta will wonder whether he’s ready to lead the line. His youthful exuberance is perhaps better suited to, and less costly on, the wing, where head-down dribbling, tricks and flicks are unlikely to leave his side too exposed should he cede possession. The No.9 role requires spatial awareness, use of the body to turn defenders and draw fouls, and patience to hold the position should possession be in short supply. Wise old hound Lacazette certainly has the better of Martinelli when it comes to those facets of the role.

But if Arteta covets goalscoring and creativity from his striker, Martinelli should be given a chance. He’s excellent with the ball at his feet and some of his finishes this season have been exquisite. But he also has that ability many claim ‘can’t be taught’ but obviously, definitely can: he arrives at the right time. Whether it’s to get on the end of crosses or to latch onto balls through or over the defence, he doesn’t just make good runs, but knows when not to move at all.

It’s also a switch that would benefit Emile Smith Rowe. With no other real option to come from the left, Arteta would have no choice but to play the England international. Which is great, because weirdly, he hasn’t been. After a run of five Premier League goals and two assists in nine games, Smith Rowe has started just one of their last seven, despite adding a further three goals as a substitute.

Smith Rowe, Martinelli and Bukayo Saka is a front line to intimidate/enjoy. With Martin Odegaard just behind them, that’s undoubtedly an intriguing front four. The question is whether Arteta will deem that forward diamond, with an average age of just 21, too inexperienced in their push for the top four.

But if the transfer rumours are true, now is the time for Arteta to test his Martinelli theory. If he thrives in a central role it may be a case of Alexander Isak or Dominic Calvert-Lewin come the summer, rather than both.