Arsenal fell to a disappointing defeat against Newcastle United in the Premier League yesterday.
Alexander Isak scored the only goal of the game early in the first half and Arsenal fought back to equalise. The Gunners have failed to create too many scoring chances, and will be frustrated with the performance of the attacking unit.
Gabriel Martinelli was quite disappointing in particular, and the Brazilian winger he didn’t get a single shot on goal during his stay on the field of play. The 23-year-old completed just one successful dribble during his 61 minutes on the pitch.
Martinelli was regarded as one of the club’s top attacking prospects, but his performances have been rather underwhelming since last season. He scored just eight goals in all competitions last season and has managed just one so far two goals and two assists for the Gunners.
Arsenal must upgrade Gabriel Martinelli
It would be ideal for Mikel Arteta to find an upgrade from the South American in the coming months. There is no doubt that he could still be a very useful squad player for Arsenal, but the Gunners need better players at their disposal if they are to match Europe’s elite. They need a quality winger who can create goalscoring opportunities and be involved with goals on a regular basis as well.
Martinelli certainly has the potential to become a top player, but he needs to improve his end product.
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal decide to dip into the January transfer market for a dynamic attacker who can operate on the wings as well as in the centre. Clearly, they need goals in their attacking unit. Gabriel Jesus hasn’t been able to score goals consistently, and Kai Havertz isn’t a prolific goalscorer either.
