Arsenal found out that they still have a long way to go with their squad before they can be considered truly dominant in England after their defeat to Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night.
The Gunners were knocked out of the League Cup in the last 16 stage by the League Two side, as they lost on penalties after drawing 1-1 in normal time.
Mikel Arteta rotated his team and his attackers failed to provide the quality required to break down the lower league outfit to ensure that they did not need to rely on the luck of a penalty shoot-out.
The Premier League champions were ruthless with the players that they let go from their attacking unit over the summer, as they cashed in on Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli.
Why Arsenal were right to let go of Gabriel Martinelli
Al Hilal swooped in to sign the winger for a fee of £55.7m during the summer transfer window, after he racked up 11 goals and seven assists in all competitions last season.
Arsenal made the right call with the Brazil international because he did not deliver consistently in the final third, with three of his 11 goals coming in a win over Championship side Portsmouth in the FA Cup.
Taking that hat-trick away, Martinelli only scored seven goals in 52 matches in all competitions for the Gunners, including a return of one goal in 30 appearances in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old attacker could not be relied upon to deliver week-in-week-out when Arteta needed him, as he struggled for consistency in his end product.
|
25/26 Premier League |
Gabriel Martinelli |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
30 |
|
xG |
3.99 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Big chances missed |
7 |
|
Key passes per game |
0.4 |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
|
Assists |
4 |
A return of one goal from just shy of 4xG in the Premier League illustrates just how underwhelming his performances were last season, which is why the Gunners made the right call when they sold him to Al Hilal.
Arsenal must give £65m star the Martinelli treatment
Now, Arteta must give another one of his attacking players the Martinelli treatment by cashing in on them when the January transfer window opens for business.
Kai Havertz has split opinion since his £65m move from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, but there is no denying that he has provided value at times.
The Germany international scored the opener in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, and has scored 39 goals in all competitions for the club in total.
However, the left-footed star’s dismal performance against Fleetwood on Tuesday night was another reminder that he does not have the consistency or quality to be a superstar forward for the Gunners.
In the defeat to the League Two outfit, the German attacker had seven shots on goal and failed to score, missing two ‘big chances’ along the way.
His misses were ultimately costly for Arteta and Arsenal because it meant that the lower league side took the match to penalties, and knocked the champions out of the competition.
|
Havertz (Premier League) |
25/26 |
26/27 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
12 |
8 |
|
xG |
3.31 |
2.14 |
|
Goals |
2 |
2 |
|
Big chances missed |
6 |
3 |
|
Big chances created |
2 |
0 |
|
Assists |
3 |
0 |
Since the start of last season, the £65m-rated centre-forward has only scored four goals in 20 matches in the Premier League, missing nine ‘big chances’ in that time.
He is currently on a run of ten matches without a goal in all competitions for club and country, since his goal against Chelsea in September, and this speaks to his lack of consistency in the final third.
As Martinelli did last season, Havertz is currently proving that he does not have what it takes to be reliable enough in front of goal to take Arsenal where they want to be.
If the Gunners want to totally dominate English football, Arteta needs strikers and wide players who can deliver consistently with goals and assists, which is why Havertz should follow Martinelli out of the club.
It is then down to the club to ensure that they can replace him adequately in the transfer market, which is the toughest part, but it is a move that needs to be made if they want to improve and elevate their attack.
That is why Havertz should be given the Martinelli treatment and placed on the transfer list ahead of the January transfer window opening for business.
