Freddie Ljungberg believes that some Arsenal fans have quickly forgotten Gabriel Martinelli’s contributions to the team’s successes. The former midfielder expressed his surprise at how many supporters wanted to see the Brazilian depart.
Last season, Martinelli notched one goal and provided four assists in the Premier League, helping Arsenal secure their first title in 22 years. However, the winger spent much of the latter part of the campaign on the bench before his summer transfer to Al-Hilal for around £60 million.
Speaking on Viaplay, Ljungberg stated:
A Brazilian player who works as hard as he does, at that age and with those statistics, can’t come cheap.
He was sold for quite a hefty sum, so I was a bit surprised to see how many people wanted him gone. Fans were calling for his departure.
I thought, ‘This is a good player, and you just want rid of him.’ But it seems that’s exactly what they wanted. The club sold him and got a decent price.
Sometimes fans might forget how much he did for the club and how many important goals he scored over the years.
Following Martinelli’s departure and Leandro Trossard’s move to Besiktas, Arsenal brought in Christos Tsolis from Brugge for £34 million. Ljungberg understands this decision and feels that the Greek player appears to be more tactically disciplined:
When it comes to Martinelli, he sometimes made unconventional decisions. People were frustrated when he failed to control the ball properly or did something else due to the speed of the game.
Perhaps defensively, he didn’t always do precisely what was required of him.
Tsolis appears to be a bit more… I don’t want to say ‘manageable,’ but perhaps more tactically astute. He does the necessary work and occupies the right positions.
