Gabriel Martinelli has been impressive since becoming a regular for Mikel Arteta in recent weeks and could be a solution for the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang dilemma.
Despite being out of favour for the majority of the season, the Brazilian still has more goal contributions than Harry Kane in the Premier League.
Aubameyang was dropped for disciplinary issues ahead of the game against Southampton yesterday, and it is likely he could have lost his place in the side ahead of future matches.
With the captain being the main goal output, Martinelli’s impressive spells show that he can fill that void in the meantime.
The youngster impressed Arteta after his substitute cameo against Newcastle, where he scored a magnificent volley on the back of a Takehiro Tomiyasu lob.
Since his marvellous goal, the Brazilian has started every Premier League game and played an important part for the Gunners in their win against Southampton.
His assist for Gabriel Magalhaes secured all three points for his team, as the north London side ran riot with a 3-0 victory.
This was done without Arsenal’s captain and starting striker in Aubameyang, but the emergence of other players in similar positions meant that his absence was unnoticeable.
Martinelli’s energy on the pitch is contagious for the other players, and he has sparked Arteta’s attack which has often looked stale this season.
The 20-year-old had struggled for game time under Arteta this campaign and had not started a Premier League fixture before the Manchester United defeat, since Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea in August.
When the youngster initially joined the club he was highly rated and had received a lot of praise for performances after his arrival.
He had chipped in with a few excellent goals, which showed he had the ability to be a goal-scoring threat.
However, a serious knee injury had derailed his progress before eventually losing the trust of Arteta who was only utilizing the winger on the substitute's bench.
But it seems that Martinelli is back on the right track, as he once again looks like the promising player Arsenal had signed in 2019.
If he continues to have more goal contributions than Kane in the Premier League, then he will certainly be an important figure at the club.
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