Micah Richards delivers savage verdict on Gabriel Martinelli and urges Arsenal to sign 'amazing' Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze

Former Manchester City defender Richards believes Arsenal need a new left winger and that Martinelli should be more of an "impact player" off the bench. The ex-Aston Villa man added Crystal Palace's Eze would be a great signing, but he also isn't convinced summer recruit Viktor Gyokeres will be Arsenal's silver bullet in attack next season.

He said on The Rest is Football podcast: "How many times have we said Arsenal need a new striker? We said it every week last season. They’ve needed one for a while now. I still believe they need a left winger as well…they’ve been linked with Eze haven’t they. I think Martinelli can definitely do a job but he’s more of an impact player right now, great to have off the bench, so if they could get Eze that would be amazing. 

"In terms of Gyokeres, I think it’s a very good signing but I still think there are question marks if he can do it at this level consistently. I’ve watched loads of videos of him and I think he’s really good with his movement, he’s a really clever striker. I don’t think people should expect him to hold the ball up really well because I saw some times when it came off him but he still scored two goals in the match so he got lots of praise. He will cause teams problems though and he’s exactly what Arsenal needed, for sure."

Arsenal have been urged to sign an out-and-out striker for years and now they have recruited Gyokeres, they seem may be in a better position than ever before to win their first Premier League title since 2004. If they can keep Martinelli and sign Eze, although he will not come on the cheap, the Gunners could be a force to be reckoned with in 2025-26.

It remains to be seen if Mikel Arteta's Arsenal will make a concerted effort to sign England international Eze or if they will stick with Martinelli, who scored ten goals and added six assists in 51 games last season.