Arsenal have started the new campaign like they mean business.
The Gunners need to sign a new forward do they? Well, not on the evidence of their first two games of the season. In beating Manchester City in the Community Shield and Coventry City in the Premier League, they have scored six goals and not conceded a single one.
Mikel Arteta’s men are favourites to win consecutive league crowns with many of the division’s so-called elite clubs very much in transition.
Arteta has been there before. He’s taken Arsenal from being the nearly men to the club everyone wants to be. Still, they are not perfect.
Despite those first two results to start the season, they require more if they are to challenge on all fronts in 2026/27 and with Gabriel Martinelli set to depart, the need a new wide player has only increased.
What is Gabriel Martinelli’s Arsenal legacy?
In the summer of 2019, Unai Emery, yes Unai Emery, welcomed Martinelli to north London for a bargain fee of just £6m from Ituano in Brazil.
Well, seven years on, it would be safe to say he has been worth every penny of that. He’s now set to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia for £50m. It’s a sad end to his Arsenal journey truth be told.
Indeed, Mikel Arteta has made it very clear to the Brazilian in recent weeks that he is no longer part of his plans. It was a big surprise to see him excluded from the Community Shield squad. He didn’t even earn a winner’s medal once all was said and done.
Martinelli was then absent from the squad against Coventry too. Even with Leandro Trossard leaving the Emirates behind, the writing has been on the wall for the 25-year-old.
Arsenal are completely revamping their options on the left side of the pitch and unfortunately, Martinelli will not be part of that.
Few can blame Arteta, however, for wanting rid. While the winger has been a huge part of the ride in recent years – scoring 62 goals in 278 appearances – 2025/26 was a difficult one on a personal level.
He won the Premier League but only actually contributed one goal en-route to claiming the trophy. He scored 11 in all competitions but was virtually anonymous in the league.
Arteta has had enough but Martinelli should be remembered fondly. This is a player who scored many vital goals for the club, famously bagging that late equaliser against Manchester City last term, his only Premier League strike of 2025/26.
Very few people have anything bad to say about Martinelli’s personality or attitude. It has been exemplary since moving from Brazil as a boy. He has grown into a man and a very good footballer too.
Still, it is time for him to move on. It is time for Arsenal to replace him.
How Arsenal can replace Martinelli in the last week of the window
Even before Arteta had made a final decision on the future of Martinelli, Arsenal had been exploring the idea of signing two new forwards this summer.
Christos Tzolis has already arrived to replace Leandro Trossard and his Gunners journey has started brilliantly, notably registering two assists in the Community Shield.
Yet, they have also been after an elite attacker. Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez have both been targeted but to no avail. Bradley Barcola has also been looked at but is more likely to sign for Liverpool before the transfer window slams shut.
Thus, with time running out, Andrea Berta may need to look elsewhere. How about Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye? Reports earlier this summer suggested they had made an enquiry to Everton regarding his availability.
Now, in the final days of the window, the Daily Mail’s Simon Jones reports that he is back on their radar and that an £80m move could be launched as the club weigh up their options.
While Ndiaye may not be the Vini Junior-type of signing that fans were craving, as Arsenal aim to replace Martinelli, Ndiaye would be a phenomenal replacement.
Hailed as “one of the best left wingers in the Premier League” by writer and Arsenal content creator Harvey Diamonds, the Senegalese sensation has emerged as one of the most captivating forwards in England in recent years.
His overall output for the Toffees may not be too eye-catching – he scored just six goals and registered three assists last term – but his data across some of the most important metrics for a wide player paint a positive picture.
Ndiaye vs Martinelli: 2025/26 league stats | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats (per 90 mins) | Ndiaye | Martinelli |
Non-penalty goals | 0.13 | 0.08 |
Shots | 1.39 | 2.43 |
Open play expected assists | 0.14 | 0.10 |
Open play big chances created | 0.23 | 0.34 |
Shot-ending carries | 1.13 | 1.09 |
Successful dribbles | 2.36 | 1.85 |
Expected threat in build-up | 0.41 | 0.27 |
Progressive actions | 4.43 | 4.86 |
Progressive carries | 2.97 | 3.52 |
Progressive passes | 1.45 | 1.34 |
When analysing this performances from last season alone, Ndiaye is actually rather similar to Martinelli, ranking closely for several areas including progressive passes, progressive carries and open play chances created.
That may not excite Arsenal supporters too much but in full flight, he is a truly entertaining player to watch. Teammate Vitaliy Mykolenko has described him as “the most skilful player in the Premier League” for a reason.
Indeed, last term, only Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku completed more dribbles (84) in the Premier League than Ndiaye’s tally of 73. Bukayo Saka, for additional context, completed 50.
So, while the Everton star may not be Vini, Barcola or Morgan Rogers, he would still be an exciting addition, particularly in light of Martinelli departing.
