Ian Wright said Arsenal’s handling of Gabriel Martinelli’s potential exit from the club has left him feeling “uncomfortable” and claimed the forward deserves “more respect.”
Martinelli, who has played nearly 300 times across seven seasons for the Gunners, was left out of Arsenal’s squad for their opening-night win over Coventry at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal are exploring selling Martinelli, who has one year remaining on his contract, but Wright believes the Brazil international, also omitted from Arsenal’s Community Shield victory against Manchester City last Sunday, is being left in the dark over his future.
However, the PA news agency understands manager Mikel Arteta has spoken directly with Martinelli about his decision to leave the winger out of his opening two squads of the season.
“The way Martinelli is being treated at the moment, it really makes me feel uncomfortable,” said former Arsenal striker Wright following the Gunners’ 3-0 victory on Friday.
“The way he’s been treated at the end here, I know they might want him out, and a lot of people might say, ‘Yeah, it’s time for him to move him on’. But there’s ways of doing that and it should suit him as well, how he wants to leave.
“Not being involved in the squad [last night], not being spoken to, he doesn’t know what’s going on. And yes, I know this, I know this. He doesn’t know what is happening.”
Arsenal sold Leandro Trossard earlier this summer but they have added depth to the left-hand side by signing Christos Tzolis, who played a part in Arsenal’s first two goals against Coventry.
The Gunners also looked to attract Vinícius Júnior to the Emirates before he extended his stay with Real Madrid.
Wright, speaking on Sky Sports, added: “If you bring Vini in, Martinelli can say to himself, ‘Okay, they’ve brought him in, they’ve brought Tzolis in, I might be third [in the pecking order].
“But if you bring Tzolis in and have [Noni] Madueke on the other side, you’re thinking to yourself, ‘I can still have it with these two, I’ve got something to offer.’
“For him to be nowhere near it, it just makes me feel a bit sad for him. He’s done enough with this squad to be treated with a little bit more respect than he’s being treated with at the moment.”
Trossard, Christian Norgaard and Jakub Kiwior have already been allowed to leave Arsenal this summer, with Gabriel Jesus, Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira also expected to move on, and Ethan Nwaneri set to be loaned out.
Quizzed on the possibility of long-serving players leaving the club, manager Mikel Arteta said prior to Friday’s game: “It’s a really tough moment, but you need to face that reality.
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“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.
“Everything has a start and has an end. And when it comes to the end, our duty, and our responsibility is to do it in the best possible way, maintaining the respect and admiration for the player and the relationship, but understanding that at the end, we need to make football decisions.”
