Gabriel Martinelli will almost certainly be handed an opportunity to end all talk of a potential Arsenal exit, as he aims to show Mikel Arteta exactly why he should still be a regular fixture in the starting line-up in the club’s Champions League opener on Tuesday evening.
The Gunners head to Athletic Bilbao for an early kick-off as European football’s premier knockout competition gets underway again, but they do so with several injuries that open the door for other players to take opportunities.
Skipper Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Ben White will all miss the game in Spain, although William Saliba is available again after recovering from his ankle issue.
Martinelli, meanwhile, could be handed a start in his favoured left-wing spot after being dropped for Arsenal‘s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
With Odegaard and Saka both injured, the door is open for Martinelli to return, although Eberechi Eze’s big-money summer signing has started to make life tough for the Brazilian.
Eze was handed the start on the left against Forest, with Mikel Merino filling in for Odegaard and Noni Madueke on the right, and there is every chance Arteta leans that way again in Bilbao.
If that’s the case, Martinelli will be hoping to take any scraps he can get and show Arteta why he should not be cast aside on the biggest stage in European football.
Indeed, given Arsenal’s continued struggles with injuries over the last few seasons, it would be foolish to even consider parting ways with Martinelli any time soon.
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Martinelli Arsenal exit rumours gather pace
That being said, with Eze’s arrival bumping Martinelli to bench, it’s not that surprising to hear talk of a potential exit in January. Indeed, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Bayern Munich made a bid for the player over the summer.
The Bundesliga champions tried to snare the 24-year-old in a €30-35million (£26-30m) deal, with Romano confirming: “It was a positive conversation but Martinelli is very happy at Arsenal and Arsenal showed no intention to accept anything close to €30m-€35m.”
Martinelli himself was also asked about his future while away on international duty and said, via the Daily Mirror: “Regarding Arsenal, it’s like here in the national team. If you ask me if it’s good to have Vini or Rodrygo in the national team, I’ll definitely say yes.
“Because he’ll help the team to win titles. And if we want to win, we need quality players.
“It’s the same with Arsenal. I’m very happy with Eze and Madueke’s arrival as well. Trossard also plays on the left side.
“So, we’re very happy when we have quality players by our side. We have a lot of matches in the season. A lot of things can happen, injuries, etc.
“So, we’re happy for the club to be looking for the best players in the league so we can try to win.”
Despite Martinelli’s stance, there have been rumblings about the club trying to cash in on the player, especially given the attacking talent they brought in over the summer.
Italian giants AC Milan are another club to have been linked with the Brazilian attacker as they weigh options to potentially replace Rafael Leao at the San Siro.
For Martinelli, though, he just has to make Arteta fully aware of what he can still offer – and that all starts with whatever minutes he gets against Bilbao.
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