Arsenal: 3 reasons Gabriel Martinelli can be the striker solution

3. Martinelli & Lacazette Can Share the Load

It’s not as if Martinelli has to be the starting striker for the remainder of the season, as game-by-game there will be opposition setups that call for different personnel.

At present the choice is either Lacazette or Nketiah. With Smith Rowe back fit that needn’t be the case. If Arsenal host Everton or are away at Wolves they will need to alter their plan, and not only does it allow them to be flexible by opponent, it also can instill a level of doubt in the opposition.

There are great differences coming up against Martinelli as a striker as opposed to Lacazette. That’s something that could be used as an advantage.

We also don’t know how brilliant, or not, Martinelli can be as a centre-forward. This spell between now and the end of the season, while hardly time to be experimenting, could tell the club something it didn’t know and if the Brazilian shows the potential to be moulded into that role full-time it can also impact what happens in the summer.

What he is, is an option. One unused so far, and if Lacazette is his usual self and gasping for air by the 60th minute then the substitution needn’t immediately be Nketiah.

Arsenal have someone playing his best football to date with confidence coursing through his veins. While signing a striker this window is ideal, should they not manage to do so they possess someone in their ranks who has the potential to help them survive without.