Ian Wright is unhappy with how Gabriel Martinelli is being treated at the moment, claiming the winger hasn’t even been spoken to about his situation.
There were plenty of reasons to be happy after Arsenal’s opening Premier League win over Coventry City, with Mikel Arteta’s side putting in an excellent team display and earning a convincing 3-0 result.
A big driver of that result was the performance of new signing Christos Tzolis on the left wing, but Tzolis’ impressive early form at Arsenal has come at a cost.
Fellow left-winger Gabriel Martinelli has suddenly found himself on the fringes of the squad, unable to even make the bench for the last two games. Transfer speculation is growing, but nothing has been agreed at this stage.
Amid that uncertainty, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has claimed that Martinelli isn’t being kept up to date on his own transfer situation.
“I spoke to Martinelli and the way Martinelli’s being treated at the moment, it really makes me feel uncomfortable,” Wright told Sky Sports.
“He always gives 100 per cent. We’re not saying that he’s the greatest, but he’s come up with some big moments for Arsenal in big games. He’s scored some very important goals.
“And the way he’s being treated at the end here, I know they might want him out and there’s a lot of guys saying ‘yeah maybe it’s time for him to move on’, but there’s ways of doing that.
“And it should suit him as well, how he wants to leave. [He’s] not being spoken to. Doesn’t know what’s going on.
“Yes, I do know this, I know this. Not being involved in the Community Shield squad, not being involved tonight. He doesn’t know what’s happening, he’s got a year left (on his contract).”
There have been suggestions throughout the summer that Arsenal would consider offers for Martinelli, and the player is certainly aware of at least that much.
Martinelli’s camp recently informed Arsenal that they weren’t interested in a move to Galatasaray, so they’ve been involved in the transfer saga to some extent.
But that doesn’t mean the winger knows why he’s not currently in the squad on matchdays, or that he’s aware of the club’s transfer stance for him in the final 10 days of the transfer window.
It certainly would be better if Arsenal were transparent with him, especially given his positive association with the club over such a long period.
Even if the end result is the same, Martinelli has earned a certain level of respect in the way that end comes about.
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