Ian Wright has taken aim at Arsenal and Mikel Arteta for their treatment of Gabriel Martinelli, highlighting the unsettling situation surrounding the Brazilian's future. Martinelli has now been excluded from the matchday squad for two consecutive games.
The 25-year-old was absent from the Gunners’ 3-0 victory over Coventry in their Premier League opener and was also left out of the squad for the Community Shield clash against Manchester City.
Last week, Galatasaray submitted a £38 million bid for Martinelli, but the player himself has expressed to Arsenal that he does not wish to continue his career in Turkey. With one year remaining on his current contract, his future remains in limbo.
Wright expressed concern over Martinelli's apparent lack of communication from the club:
The way they’re treating Martinelli at the moment makes me quite uncomfortable. He always gives 100%. I’m not saying he’s the greatest player, but he has come through for Arsenal in crucial matches and scored important goals for them.
I understand the club might be looking to move him on, with many suggesting it’s time for him to move forward. But that has to be done properly, taking into account how the player feels about leaving.
The ex-Arsenal striker is particularly troubled by the lack of clarity regarding Martinelli’s situation:
He’s not included in the squad, no one is speaking to him, and he doesn’t know what’s going on. I’m aware of this. He wasn’t in the squad for the Community Shield, and he’s in the dark.
If you bring in someone like Vinicius Junior, a player of his calibre, Martinelli might think, ‘Right, there’s him and Colis, maybe I’m the third choice now.’ But when Colis is brought in, and there’s also Madueke on the other flank, he might feel, ‘I can still compete with them; I have something to offer this team.’
It just saddens me to see him not even around the team. I believe he’s done enough for this squad to deserve a bit more respect.
