Ian Wright said Martinelli's treatment at Arsenal "really makes me feel uncomfortable". The former striker's defence came as Mikel Arteta talked about football endings, and as the winger's omission from the squad for the league opener against Coventry kept the focus on how the club are handling him. Martinelli made 53 appearances in all competitions last season and scored 11 goals.

Wright's defence of Martinelli

Wright was clear on the evidence in front of him. "He's done enough with this squad to be treated with a little bit more respect than he's being treated at the moment," he said on BBC.

Those numbers give his point some weight. Martinelli was still a major part of Arsenal's rotation last season, and 11 goals is not the output of a player who has disappeared from the picture. The argument that he should be handled with more care is hard to dismiss when the club left him out for the league opener and also for last weekend's Community Shield win against Manchester City.

Arsenal's handling of the winger

Arteta has not framed this as a simple clash over loyalty. "Everything has a start and has an end," he said. "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."

He also said departures need to be handled "with real honesty and transparency" because "when you are on the other side, that's exactly what you need." Arsenal invited offers for Martinelli, who joined from Brazilian side Ituano in 2019, and have already had him turn down a move to Galatasaray.

The club's view is plainly different from Wright's. Arsenal deny he is being frozen out and present the situation as squad depth, but the practical reality is still awkward: Martinelli is available, his deal has one year left, and his name is already in the sale conversation.

Whatever the internal framing, the decision now sits with Arsenal. Martinelli remains a player who produced 53 appearances and 11 goals last season, and the club's next move will tell the real story about how they value him before the window closes.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →