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LONDON — There has always been a steely edge to Mikel Arteta's personality.
Even during his playing days at Arsenal, the fiercely committed professional carried a certain detachment. Following a serious ACL injury at Everton, Arteta set his sights on a future in management, carrying that ambition with him throughout the remainder of his playing career.
"He's got a bit of Arsène about him," said Neil Banfield, Wenger's first-team coach at Arsenal, in an interview with The Athletic. "The similarities are in the character they are. You don't mess with them."
Gabriel Martinelli is the latest player to learn that crossing Arteta comes with consequences. The fan-favourite winger reportedly turned down the club's attempts to offload him this summer, only to find himself excluded from matchday preparations as a result. With his absence from the Community Shield now followed by being left out of the squad for Friday's Premier League opener against Coventry City, Arteta's position has become crystal clear.
As severe as Arteta's decisions may look from the outside, he has his reasoning — and it has served him well in the past.
Why Is Gabriel Martinelli Getting Axed by Arsenal?
"We all know, everything has a start and has an end," Arteta cautioned when pressed on the subject of parting ways with long-serving players earlier this week. Beyond the natural passage of time, Arsenal's relentless pursuit of improvement has now left Martinelli in its wake.
Earlier this month, Arteta stated plainly: "We need to bring more skill and quality to the squad." Despite his impressive physical attributes, technical refinement has never been Martinelli's strongest suit.
The pacey forward flourished at Arsenal during a different chapter of the club's development. Given wide-open spaces to exploit with his blistering speed, the Brazilian can be a dangerous threat. It is no coincidence that Martinelli's standout scoring campaign came in 2022–23, that golden window when the Gunners emerged as genuine title contenders before the rest of the league adapted.
Over the past three seasons, most opponents have shown Arsenal the ultimate respect by sitting in a deep defensive block. "There's no space to run," Arteta lamented at the time. "When you're sitting in traffic, I want to go 100 miles an hour but I have three buses and 55 taxis and motorbikes around me, so it's tricky."
Such was his struggle last season, Martinelli was handed only 11 Premier League starts. The returns were equally disappointing, with a meagre single goal to show for his efforts.
Some players simply have to be sold. After years of heavy investment with little financial restraint, Arsenal must generate funds to satisfy financial regulators. With a squad already featuring Christos Tzolis and Eberechi Eze, and the potential arrival of a high-profile left winger still on the horizon, Martinelli's position was always going to face scrutiny.
Unable to navigate the congestion of Arsenal's evolving demands, it seems Martinelli has been pointed toward the exit himself.
Arteta's Track Record of Ruthlessness
"It's a really, really tough moment," Arteta acknowledged when reflecting on his current situation. Fortunately, he is no stranger to making difficult calls.
The defining early chapter of Arteta's Arsenal reign was the banishment of Mesut Özil. The club's highest-paid player in history had been among the young manager's most vocal supporters — it was the German midfielder who popularised the phrase "trust the process," which became a hallmark of Arteta's era. Ironically, that very process led to Özil being stripped of all first-team involvement following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Exactly what drove Arteta to cast aside the team's talisman remains a mystery to this day. It came at considerable cost and forced the club's ownership to choose early between their star player and their new manager. It would not be the last such power struggle.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was another well-paid figure who had a dramatic falling out with Arteta. The departures of goalkeepers Bernd Leno and Aaron Ramsdale were less dramatic, yet Arteta had no hesitation in replacing his first-choice keeper mid-season. When he decides a change is needed, the Arsenal manager will act on it regardless of any uncomfortable off-field fallout.
Martinelli Treatment Inspires Mixed Reaction
Supporters appear split on the Martinelli situation. A portion of fans arriving at the Emirates Stadium on Friday evening accepted that, after seven years, the time had come to move on. Football is the ultimate meritocracy; those who no longer make the grade simply don't get picked.
For those who believe Martinelli deserves special treatment given his dedication and years of service in north London, there is a point of agreement across both sides: this is not the right way to handle a player.
"You need to face that reality," Arteta said of Martinelli's predicament this week. "But you need to face it with real honesty and transparency because when you are on the other side, that's exactly what you need. You might not like what you've been told, but if it's truthful, if it's the reality, if it's honest and it's going to help you to make better decisions and have more clarity for the next steps in your career, you have to do that. These are always very difficult conversations, but they need to be done."
According to Ian Wright, those conversations have yet to take place.
Speaking in his role as a Sky Sports pundit, Arsenal's former record goalscorer disclosed that Martinelli has "not been spoken to" and "doesn't know what's going on." Though by now, he must have some idea.
"With respect to Martinelli and the way Martinelli's been treated at the moment, it really makes me feel uncomfortable," Wright said, echoing the sentiment of many supporters. "He always gives 100%—not saying he's the greatest—he's really come up with some big moments for Arsenal, some big games and scored some very important goals.
"The way he's been treated at the end here ... there's ways of doing that, and it should suit him as well."
Reports indicate that Martinelli still envisions himself competing at the highest level of European football. That explains his rejection of interest from Galatasaray and his apparent indifference to links with the Saudi Pro League. Yet, as Arteta has demonstrated time and again, the overriding principle behind his choices is what benefits Arsenal — not any individual player.
"When it comes to the end, I think our duty, our responsibility is to do it in the best possible way," he conceded, "but understanding that at the end, we need to make football decisions."