Arsenal must play Gabriel Martinelli – there is nothing to lose

Gabriel Martinelli Should Get His Chance for Arsenal

With Emile Smith Rowe yet to train and likely to be unavailable to face Slavia Prague, Martinelli should be considered to start in the Europa League. His energy and enthusiasm, as well as his technical ability able to help Arsenal build progressively in wide areas, is an asset, not a detraction.

He isn’t the half-space operator like Smith Rowe, but he adds enhanced close control coming in off the left, the like of which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is struggling with.

As witnessed against Liverpool, although frequent in general, the need for someone on the left who can carry the ball through the thirds is essential and Aubameyang doesn’t has the skillset to do so.

While Arteta wants his full-backs to provide the width and his wide players to be the technical playmakers, the seeming lack of a natural left footer at left-back with Kieran Tierney’s injury hints towards a more right-sided attacking bias in the coming weeks.

But the point of where Martinelli plays becomes secondary. While the Europa League is the be-all and end-all now, he deserves his chance to play in the Premier League whether at centre-forward or otherwise.

Of course, if he’s being moulded into a striker then what better way to put that plan into action than in matches against Sheffield United, Fulham, Newcastle, West Brom, Crystal Palace and Brighton to come? Especially if ‘key’ players will be rested for European football.

Watch him excel, or otherwise (although there is little doubt), and it helps add clarity to the endless list of plans needed for the summer transfer window.

Play Martinelli. There is nothing to lose.