Wilshere ‘surprised’ Arsenal starlet has not been ‘thrown on’ more
Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has been “surprised at times” by Gabriel Martinelli’s lack of game time for the Londoners.
Martinelli came through the ranks with Brazillian side Ituano. He caught the eye of Arsenal in 2019 as they spent £6m to bring him to the Premier League.
The attacker only started six games in the top flight in 2019/20. But he was impressive in cup competitions as he grabbed ten goals and four assists from his 26 appearances.
White plus two more makes Arsenal title contenders…
After recovering from a serious knee injury, Martinelli struggled to get a run of games last season. He only started ten times across all competitions.
Wilshere – who left the Gunners in 2018 – has been speaking about Martinelli on the Highbury Squad YouTube channel. He believes that you “cannot teach” what the forward can do:
“I was surprised at times when Arsenal needed a goal, they needed something and he wasn’t thrown on.
“He is that type of player who can do that. He arrives in the box. He always seems to be in the right place, at the right time. You cannot teach them things.
“I feel he will only get better with experience of playing in the big games. I do think he is a player who will thrive off having the fans back.
“I remember the game at Chelsea when he scored that goal. He just got better and better as the game went on and the fans got behind him. I am excited to see more of him.”
Elsewhere, Danny Murphy has suggested that Ben White can help to propel Arsenal into the top four:
“If I’m Ben White, I’m going to Arsenal, because they are the ones after me and it’s a step up, it’s a huge club.
“Yes, it’s a risk in terms of will they progress from last season and can Mikel Arteta improve that squad? But he’s obviously sold him that and he feels wanted.
“It’s a massive opportunity because he will play every week, it’s a great environment to play your football and a better environment than Brighton.
“Is it a progression in his career? Yes it is. It’s easy to look at last season and think Arsenal won’t be competitive. But they could get into the top four next season.”
