Ian Wright: Martinelli Deserves More Respect Amid Arsenal Exit Talks

Ian Wright has accused Arsenal of mishandling Gabriel Martinelli as the winger edges towards the Emirates exit, insisting the Brazilian “deserves more respect” after playing a key role in last season’s title win.

Martinelli featured 53 times in all competitions in 2023-24, scoring 11 goals as Mikel Arteta’s side finally got over the line in the Premier League. He was part of the story, not a footnote.

Now he cannot even get on the teamsheet.

From title winner to watching from home

The 25-year-old was left out of the squad entirely for Arsenal’s opening league game, a 3-0 win over Coventry on Friday. He had already been omitted from the Community Shield victory against Manchester City the previous weekend.

Arsenal have invited offers for the forward. The message is clear: he is available.

For Wright, that sits badly.

“The way Martinelli is being treated at the moment, it really makes me feel uncomfortable,” the former Arsenal striker told Sky Sports.

“I know they might want him out, and a lot of people might say, ‘yeah, it’s time for him to move him on’. But there’s ways of doing that and it should suit him as well, how he wants to leave.

“Not being involved in the squad, not being spoken to, he doesn’t know what’s going on. And yes, I know this – he doesn’t know what is happening.

“He’s done enough with this squad to be treated with a little bit more respect than he’s being treated with at the moment.”

Arteta’s rebuild has its first casualty

Martinelli arrived from Ituano in 2019 and has been in the first-team picture throughout Arteta’s reign, growing into a popular, high-energy presence in the dressing room and on the pitch.

Now, as Arsenal try to build on their title success rather than simply defend it, he looks like one of the first big names to be pushed towards the door.

Inside the club, the line is different. Arsenal deny he is being frozen out and point to the depth Arteta now has in wide areas. New signing Christos Tzolis impressed on the left wing against Coventry, operating in Martinelli’s favoured zone.

The club also made a serious attempt to sign Vinicius Jr before the Brazilian renewed his contract with Real Madrid. The intent was obvious: stack elite talent in Martinelli’s position.

Wright understands the competitive reality but not the current treatment.

“If you bring Vini in, Martinelli can say to himself, ‘OK, they’ve brought him in, they’ve brought Tzolis in, I might be third [in the pecking order],” he said.

“But if you bring Tzolis in and have [Noni] Madueke on the other side, you’re thinking to yourself, ‘I can still have it with these two, I’ve got something to offer’.

“For him to be nowhere near it, it just makes me feel a bit sad for him.”

Arsenal’s “sellable asset” dilemma

Arsenal want at least one significant sale before the transfer window closes and have made it clear to the market that Martinelli is available. Internally, they see him as one of their most valuable chips, alongside Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira.

Martinelli has already rejected a move to Galatasaray. If he leaves, he expects a top European club, not a step down or a sideways move.

Arteta, speaking before the Coventry game, did not name Martinelli but did not shy away from the reality that established players may have to go.

“It’s a really tough moment, but you need to face that reality,” he said.

“You need to face it with real honesty and transparency because when you are on the other side, that’s exactly what you need.

“You might not like what you’ve been told, but if it’s truthful, if it’s the reality, if it’s honest and it’s going to help you to make better decisions and have more clarity for the next steps in your career, you have to do that.

“Everything has a start and has an end. And when it comes to the end, our duty, and our responsibility is to do it in the best possible way, maintaining the respect and admiration for the player and the relationship, but understanding that at the end, we need to make football decisions.”

The football decision around Martinelli has been made. The question now is whether Arsenal can match the cold logic of the market with the respect owed to a player who helped carry them to the summit.