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Arsenal fans were happy with star forward Gabriel Martinelli being dropped from the starting line-up for their Premier League match-up against Leeds United (August 23).
Martinelli has been a regular feature in the Gunners' starting eleven since the 2021-22 campaign. He has been a consistent performer, with 51 goals and 29 assists in 226 games for the club across all competitions.
He played an important role in Arsenal's second-place finish and UEFA Champions League semi-final run in the 2024-25 campaign. However, he hasn't been on his best form to start off the 2025-26 season, drawing the ire of the fans with his sub-par displays.
He failed to register a significant impact in the North London side's 1-0 win over Manchester United last week (August 17). For the game against Leeds, manager Mikel Arteta dropped him to the bench, electing to start summer signing Noni Madueke in his place.
🔴 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 ⚪️ ↩️ Timber in at right-back 🆕 Madueke makes full Arsenal Premier League debut 😤 Gyokeres leads the line Let's do this, Gunners 💪
Fans welcomed the decision wholeheartedly, taking to social media to express their contentment. On X, @Khaytweets wrote:
"Martinelli finally getting the treatment he deserves, enough is enough."
@samsieiscold claimed:
"Martinelli, it’s time to learn Arabic brother."
Here is a selection of fan reactions (via X):
"He (Martinelli) should be shipped out," @Omokhobalucky asserted.
"And so it begins for Martinelli," @tdadlytld wrote.
@53_afc exclaimed, "NO MARTINELLI!"
@_ezeokolorie echoed the sentiment, writing, "Martinelli hooked!"
"Martinelli finally dropped I never thought I'll see the day," @FishMiddleton22 wrote.
"We are finally free from Gabriel Martinelli," @IsmaillIlIlI claimed.
"Martinelli is finally on the bench," @KOmukungu wrote.
"We've finally conquered Martinelli," @m_tactician claimed.
Besides Martinelli, Arsenal will have Belgian Leandro Trossard, rising star Ethan Nwaneri and 15-year-old wonderkid Max Dowman as potential attacking options off the bench.
"I don't think so" - Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta rubbishes claim about massive squad size
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has claimed that the club have only signed necessary reinforcements in this transfer window.
The Gunners have enhanced their midfield depth by signing Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard and replenished their attacking stocks with moves for Viktor Gyokeres and Noni Madueke.
The North London side have also signed defender Cristhian Mosquera and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, and have just announced the signing of playmaker Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace. With all the additions, questions have been raised about the management of the burgeoning squad at the Emirates.
Ahead of his side's clash against Leeds United, Arteta addressed the queries, saying (via Just Arsenal h/t The Sun):
"No, I don’t think (we have signed too many players). I think we have done what we have to do. I think we need to understand the background of certain players, the history of the players instead of availability, which has been a massive issue because we are bringing four or five players in last season with long-term injuries and we have to see."
Despite all the new additions to their squad, Arsenal are still rumoured to be considering moves for star players like Real Madrid's Rodrygo and Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo.
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Aaryan Nagraj
Aaryan has been covering European football at Sportskeeda since the start of 2024. He is pursuing an integrated M.Sc. degree in Chemistry at NIT Rourkela, and tends to rely on his proclivity for numbers and statistics for his content, making the most of websites like Transfermarkt and FotMob. He is also a district level basketball and table tennis player.
A Borussia Dortmund fan, Aaryan had his first tryst with football during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Despite his young mind being influenced by Lionel Messi's exploits, his favorite World Cup moment is Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning free-kick against Spain from the 2018 version. He strongly believes that Jude Bellingham and Florian Wirtz can replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their respective potentials.
Aaryan, who has been on commentary panels for football and cricket tournaments at his university, is a huge admirer of Achraf Hakimi for the Moroccan's loan stint in Dortmund between 2018 and 2020. His favorite manager is Jurgen Klopp, who impressed him with his excellent tactical nous and benignant man-management skills.
When he is not scouring the internet for unique statistics, Aaryan follows the Indian Super League, the A-League, and the Saudi Pro League among others. He is an avid quizzer and debater, and a trained classical and western musician who likes to rock out for his college band, Euphony, as lead vocalist and guitarist.
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Edited by Aaryan Nagraj