gabriel martinelli arsenal
Former forward turned pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has praised Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli heavily following his excellent cameo performance against Athletic Club in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The South American moved to the Emirates Stadium from Brazilian side Ituano back in 2019. The 24-year-old initially took time to settle down in the English top flight before enjoying a stellar 2022/23 campaign, scoring 15 goals and registering five assists in the Premier League.
However, he has struggled to take his career to the next level after that and has been displaying inconsistent performances. Still, Mikel Arteta kept faith in him and continued to play him regularly.
However, following Eberechi Eze’s arrival from Crystal Palace this summer, the Brazilian lost his spot in Arteta’s starting XI in recent games.
But, he showcased his qualities against Athletic Club in the opening Champions League encounter on Tuesday, scoring a goal and registering an assist after being introduced as a substitute in the second half.
Now, speaking on talkSPORT, Agbonlahor says that Martinelli was ‘electric’ when he came on against the Spanish side, and his assist for the second goal was really good.
Agbonlahor said:
“Martinelli was electric when he came on. That first goal — he just ran through and finished under the keeper. The second goal was what I loved even more: he received the ball, took his man on, got to the byline, cut it back to Trossard, who did a little shimmy, got a deflection, and put it in the back of the net. Arsenal are looking really good.”
Pundit lauds Martinelli
Martinelli, valued at around £48m by Transfermarkt, faced a lot of criticism following his underwhelming performances in recent times. However, he will be hoping that Tuesday’s game will be the turning point of his career.
He is quick, technically sound, and has a lot of potential. The forward is still very young, and the competition for places, which is set to be provided by Eberechi Eze, might bring the best out of him.
Meanwhile, following a comfortable 2-0 victory over Athletic Club in the opening Champions League fixture, Arsenal will face off against Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend.
Pep Guardiola’s side have endured a topsy-turvy start to this season but won against Manchester United 3-0 last weekend. So, this result will give them a lot of confidence.