Gabriel Martinelli reveals his favourite position at Arsenal

Terrific individual form at Arsenal has contributed to collective improvements, with each cog of the Mikel Arteta machine working in tandem to try and secure Champions League football this season.

On a run of 31 points secured from the last 38 available there have been numerous standout performers, with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey all earning plaudits for their displays.

Gabriel Martinelli isn’t far behind them.

The Brazilian has been one of the surprise packages of the season, whether or not his talent was unanimously highlighted. When it was becoming increasingly tough to see where his next minutes would come from, his opportunity arose and he grabbed it with both hands.

Gabriel Martinelli reveals his favourite position at Arsenal with Mikel Arteta previously considered developing him has a centre-forward in the future

Now a regular starter in the team, he’s been excelling out on the left hand side. There has been much discussion about where he is best suited or where he might end up, but speaking to Globo Esporte as he aims to make his senior debut for Brazil over the international break, he revealed he prefers to be out on the left.

"“I prefer to play on the sides, the left side specifically,” he said. “But I also like to get a lot in the box with a chance to finish, so if the ball is left I’ll be in a good condition to score.“I can also play on the right side, but my favourite position is on the left wing, infiltrating and being as close to the goal as possible.”"

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the season has been watching Martinelli develop his game almost weekly. It wasn’t long ago he was guilty of never getting his head up and charging into every situation at a hundred miles an hour without refinement.

Now he’s out on the exterior, managing his speed, perfecting his first touch and fine-tuning his dribbling technique. It really is a case of polishing already fine attributes and making them sing. Such tactical intelligence woven together with devastating pace and unpredictably make him and ideal fit for the left side of attack.

There will be moments where he plays through the middle, and there are definite traits of his that would suit the role, but for now there is no reason to fix what isn’t broken. His development is coming along just fine.

"“We have a future ahead of us,” he added. “If we keep this team, we can fight for titles in the following seasons, we will fight for that.”"

Amen to that.