Gabriel Martinelli
January 2026
Martinelli will not face further FA punishment after a late flashpoint in Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool, where he pushed Bradley while Bradley was down injured. The referee booked Martinelli during the match and logged it in his report, which normally closes the case for retrospective action. Martinelli later apologised, saying he misread the situation.
Arsenal
November 2025
Arsenal are prepared to consider offers for Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Ethan Nwaneri and Ben White as they look to balance accounts and manage squad size after major outlay on Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Martin Zubimendi helped power them to the top of the Premier League. Martinelli has lost his starting role to Leandro Trossard and may attract Saudi bids, while Jesus is recovering from an ACL injury and has slipped behind Kai Havertz and Gyokeres in the pecking order. Nwaneri could leave on loan for regular minutes and the club are open to serious proposals for White.
William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
October 2025
Arsenal’s injury list deepened as William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli were ruled out of the Carabao Cup, adding to absences for Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke and captain Martin Ødegaard. Mikel Arteta confirmed Bukayo Saka, Riccardo Calafiori and Declan Rice are available, but the leaders’ depth will be stretched during a dense run across competitions. Expect centre-back reshuffle and conservative winger usage to avoid recurrence. Arsenal should lean on rest-defence structure, short build sequences and controlled pressing to reduce transition exposure without Saliba. For Martinelli’s threat replacement, rotate vertical runners and pattern for back-post overloads. Medical: imaging, graded field re-entry, and micro-cycle load caps ahead of league duties.
Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
September 2025
Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal left them ninth in the table, prompting Pep Guardiola to blame fatigue. Roy Keane was unimpressed, dismissing claims that players were “incredibly tired” so early in the campaign, just six games into the season. Gabriel Martinelli’s late equaliser extended City’s poor form, with only four points from the last 12 available. Guardiola cited Napoli’s midweek clash and travel demands, but critics argued that Chelsea faced similar schedules without faltering. City’s lowest-ever Guardiola possession figure added to their woes.
Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
September 2025
Manchester City recorded just 32.8% possession in their 1-1 draw with Arsenal, the lowest ever for a Pep Guardiola side in a top-flight league match across his 20-year managerial career. Fatigued by tough games against Manchester United and Napoli, City adopted a more defensive style at the Emirates. Guardiola acknowledged Arsenal were superior, but praised his side’s resilience despite injuries and travel demands, accepting the draw as a fair outcome under the circumstances.
Viktor Gyökeres (Arsenal)
September 2025
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta defended Viktor Gyökeres after the striker endured another ineffective display in a 1-1 draw with Manchester City, registering no shots and struggling to influence play despite his £64m summer arrival. Gyökeres touched the ball just 24 times and lost possession repeatedly, with Gabriel Martinelli rescuing Arsenal late. Arteta insisted his team must create conditions to maximize Gyökeres’ strengths rather than place all blame on him, stressing patience and tactical adaptation moving forward.
Bayern Munich
September 2025
Bayern reportedly made an enquiry for Martinelli, offering €30–35m before landing Luis Diaz from Liverpool. Arsenal rejected immediately, valuing Martinelli as central to Arteta’s project. The Brazilian never pushed for an exit, reinforcing Arsenal’s stance against selling him. With Arsenal already strengthening their attack with Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, Martinelli’s loyalty eased pressure on the club. Bayern turned elsewhere, eventually sealing Diaz, but their attempt underscored Martinelli’s growing status as one of Arsenal’s untouchables.
Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
August 2025
Micah Richards has backed Arsenal to sign Eberechi Eze and suggested that Gabriel Martinelli should be used off the bench, calling him more of an impact option than a starter. Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards praised Eze’s creativity and expressed doubt over whether new striker Viktor Gyokeres can deliver consistently at Premier League level.