Now or never for Gabriel Martinelli: Enigmatic Arsenal winger facing fight to save Gunners career following Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke arrivals

On the plus side for Martinelli, he does still enjoy Arteta's full trust. Speculation over the winger's future raged throughout the summer transfer window, with Bayern Munich among the clubs credited with an interest in his services, but the Arsenal boss never considered letting him go.

“I think Gabi has been a super-important player for us and he's going to remain very, very, very important,” Arteta said before deadline day. “He’s needed, especially in the front line, to start the game and to finish the game. So, I’m very happy with what we have.”

That was a surprisingly strong vote of confidence considering how Martinelli has started the new season. He was substituted on the hour mark in Arsenal's 1-0 win at Manchester United after an ineffective display, and Arteta dropped him to the bench for their subsequent 5-0 thumping of Leeds United at the Emirates. Madueke struggled on his first start and also came off early against the newly-promoted side, which - coupled with an injury to Bukayo Saka - paved the way for Martinelli to return to Arteta's line up for the Gunners' trip to Anfield on August 31. He again failed to seize the opportunity.

Martinelli only managed 15 touches in his 70 minutes on the pitch and didn't complete a single dribble. In one particularly worrying first-half sequence, he sprinted out of Arsenal's half to lead a counter-attack and could have easily played in Viktor Gyokeres, but instead went alone and eventually ran the ball out for a goal-kick. 

Arsenal fans are becoming all too used to that kind of wastefulness from Martinelli. He should have been able to make mincemeat of makeshift Liverpool full-back Dominic Szoboszlai, who scored Liverpool's spectacular winning goal in the game, but it turned out to be an easy afternoon for the Hungarian against a player who is clearly suffering from a crisis of confidence.

Martinelli's mediocrity was symptomatic of Arsenal's collective effort against Liverpool, with Arteta's conservative tactics playing into the champions' hands. But the Gunners did have one bright spark in Madueke, who filled in on the right wing for the injured Saka. 

The former Chelsea star gave Martinelli a lesson in how to attack your full-back as he tormented Milos Kerkez with his pace and guile. All of Arsenal's best moments went through Madueke as he shook off the nerves from his underwhelming full debut in impressive fashion. He certainly did enough to keep his place until Saka returns in a few weeks, and as we saw in the Leeds game, Arteta is not afraid to start them both, either.

Unlike Martinelli, Madueke is a two-footed player who is equally as dangerous on the outside as he is coming inside. Right now, he is a better fit for Arteta's system on the left; he'll commit defenders to create more space in central areas for chief creators Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, and will also deliver crosses from that side for Gyokeres to feed on.

These days, it's far too easy for opponents to mark Martinelli out of the game, because he constantly looks to cut in on his stronger right foot and doesn't get his head up enough. 

That all being said, the man most likely to take Martinelli's place is Eze, who joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace in a £60 million ($81m) deal on August 23. The 27-year-old came on for Martinelli in the final 20 minutes of the Liverpool clash, and gave the Gunners an instant lift with his incisive runs and slick passing. 

Eze did squander a golden scoring opportunity, but was generally far more dangerous than Martinelli as he offered Arsenal something different. Like Madueke, Eze is a versatile player with great balance and deceptive strength who breaks through the lines regularly, while he's also an accomplished playmaker who is capable of opening up tight games in the blink of an eye.

Martinelli just doesn't match up in terms of imagination or penetration in his current guise. He is still a hard worker with bags of pace, but appears to have lost the fearless streak that made him so thrilling to watch in his earlier years at Arsenal.

In fairness to Martinelli, Arsenal have not been set up to play to his strengths. His best season at the club came in 2022-23 as he delivered 20 Premier League goal contributions in 36 appearances, when Arteta played a far more expansive brand of football.

Martinelli thrived with plenty of space to drive into and built up a telepathic rapport with fellow countryman Gabriel Jesus. The former Manchester City man would often drift towards the touchline, which allowed Martinelli to get into central positions and wreak havoc. Jesus' persistent injury problems have, however, directly led to Martinelli's reduced impact.

He also linked up well with Granit Xhaka and Oleksandr Zinchenko on the left side during that stellar season, but both men have now left the club, while over the last two years, Arteta has also encouraged Arsenal to be more measured in their build-up play, while prioritising compactness in the middle of the park for more defensive stability. That tactical tweak led to Martinelli becoming just a cog in a well-oiled machine instead of a maverick operating off the cuff. 

All is not lost for Martinelli quite yet, though. Arteta's system changes mainly stemmed from an injury crisis that decimated his squad last term, but after a £257m ($347m) splurge in the transfer market, Arsenal now have the strength in depth to take risks again, with the likes of Cristhian Mosquera, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard and Piero Hincapie also brought in over the summer.

Gyokeres' arrival from Sporting CP could be the most crucial for Martinelli, because it has forced Arteta to employ a more direct approach. Arsenal have placed a focus on quick attacking transitions instead of holding onto possession so far this season in an attempt to exploit Gyokeres' penchant for running in behind defences.

Martinelli will hope to build up a similar relationship with Gyokeres to the one he had with Jesus, as the Sweden striker also tends to peel off to the left. Hincapie, meanwhile, can play as an aggressive, overlapping full-back who could help to create space for Martinelli closer to the goal. It will take time for the new signings to gel, but they could yet bring the best out of the Brazil star.

Arteta also has the option to put Martinelli in the No.10 role, with Kai Havertz currently recovering from surgery on his knee. Martinelli scored in Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Liverpool last season after being shifted up top, and played there regularly during Unai Emery's reign as manager.

Martinelli has also just returned to the Arsenal camp after an encouraging international break with Brazil. He has quickly become a favourite under new Selecao boss Carlo Ancelotti, and started for the second game in a row in their World Cup qualifying clash with Chile last week.

He played his part in a comfortable 3-0 victory, lining up alongside Raphinha, Estevao Willian and Joao Pedro in a fearsome attacking quartet, and declared after the game: "I feel I’m better than when I was first called up (for a Brazil Olympic team camp) in 2020 and when I was at the 2022 World Cup." That statement doesn't really ring true, though.

After all, this is a player who failed to register a single goal involvement in 17 games for Arsenal between March and September last year. Martinelli eventually rediscovered some rhythm, but ultimately finished the 2024-25 campaign with only 10 goals and six assists to his name from 51 appearances across all competitions.

There is still no doubt about his ability, but that is not the output of a top-class winger. The truth is, Martinelli's development has stalled since 2022-23, and this could very well be the last season he gets at to prove his enduring worth.

Regardless of whether or not he gets the nod over Eze against Forest on Saturday, Martinelli has to start making the most of every minute he gets. It's no exaggeration to say that his Arsenal career is now on the line.