'I loved him': Pundit says he thought £6m Arsenal player was going to be just like Luis Suarez
Today at 06:45 AM
Arsenal have a knack of developing young players by changing their positions.
Bukayo Saka started as a left-back, before becoming one of the best right wingers in world football, Emile Smith Rowe started as a number 10, before shifting out to the left wing, while Myles Lewis-Skelly is becoming a full-back after starting as a midfielder.
Gabriel Martinelli also went through a similar transition when he came to Arsenal.
Once upon a time, Martinelli was a striker, but he has since become a left winger.
Martinelli actually played as a striker for Brazil last year, in a game in which he impressed.
Speaking on the Handbrake Off Podcast, Adrian Clarke has been discussing Martinelli's development, and he says that he genuinely thought Martinelli would develop into a top striker at one point.
Gabriel Martinelli could've been like Luis Suarez
Clarke spoke about how he thought Martinelli would develop.
The pundit says that he thought Martinelli would become a Luis Suarez-type striker rather than a winger.
"I loved him when he emerged on the scene as a striker. I did. I saw him developing into a Luis Suarez type striker, an absolute menace, you know, someone that’s really hard working, industrious and just doesn’t stop running," Clarke said.
"And he’s got that aggression about him, hasn’t he, Martinelli, with and without the ball? I think there’s definitely a possibility to use him there. But we’ve kind of missed that opportunity when Odegaard was out."
Gabriel Martinelli's record as a striker
Clarke suggests that Martinelli perhaps should've developed into a striker, and he may have a point here.
Martinelli has recently been praised for his performances for Arsenal on the wing, but his record as a striker makes for interesting reading.
| Gabriel Martinelli record as a striker | Gabriel Martinelli record as a winger | |
| Games | 16 | 153 |
| Goals | 9 | 33 |
| Assists | 1 | 23 |
Of course, the sample size here is much smaller and many of these games came in the Europa League and EFL Cup against weaker opposition, but the numbers don't like.
Martinelli scores at a much greater rate when he's playing up front, and perhaps that's something Mikel Arteta may want to experiment with.
Arsenal have players such as Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling who are capable of playing down the left wing, so perhaps it would be worth moving Martinelli back into that number nine role.
Arsenal's attack really hasn't been clicking lately, as they've failed to win any of their last four Premier League games, so this may be worth a try.
Perhaps Arteat should consider this switch with the £6m man.
